


Swimming with the Sharks!-A Fem! Aiichirou Nitori Story

by LazyCrazyDazy



Category: Free!
Genre: F/M, Gen, Reverse Harem, Rule 63, Samezuka Academy - Freeform, Swimming, fem! Aiichirou Nitori, female Aiichirou Nitori, free! iwatobi swim club, rule 63 Aiichirou Nitori
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-02-11 04:55:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 86,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12927921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazyCrazyDazy/pseuds/LazyCrazyDazy
Summary: Despite the name, Aiichirou Nitori is a girl, but now she's at the all boys school of Samezuka Academy! Will a girl like her be able to survive til the summer, being on a swim team of only guys? She also has to deal with her moody roommate and an overzealous captain? She's not sure, but she is going to give it her all!





	1. Chapter 1: New Spring New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Okay first off I love Free! Mostly because it's very beautiful muscled men and the story line is pretty cute. Also my favorite character is Nitori because he is a delightful happy cinnamon roll who tries his bestest despite the circumstances. I've also read plenty of Free! fanfictions and I've seen a lot of awesome OC stories and some genderbend usually with a fem! Haru. And I thought hey...I kind of want to see a female Ai in a kind of reverse harem ala Ouran High School Host club kind of deal so this is my take on a female Ai trying to make it in Samezuka

_April 20th_

_Dear Diary,_

_I always start out a journal every new school year because every April brings a new spring and with a new spring brings exciting new beginnings. And I am currently in a very new situation._ _Somehow I ended up in my own reverse harem story…and I don't know whether I'm nervous or excited or both._ _When I got the acceptance letter into Samezuka I was so thrilled. I knew it was a boy's powerhouse swimming school, but I thought since they accepted me they were becoming co-ed and accepting girls._ _I was wrong. It wasn't till I showed up to the swimming pool to try out that I realized I was definitely at a school for boys and only boys._

The school was grandiose as she walked down the halls to pick up her student orientation and uniform. 'I don't see any other girls…maybe I'm early.' She thought glancing to some of the guys who peered curiously at her as they were walking by in pristine white uniforms.

"New student?" the receptionist asked as Ai came to the reception desk. She looked through some papers briefly glancing at Ai. "Name?"

"Aiichirou Nitori." She replied before she glanced around in her bulky hoodie and blue beanie that she wore to shield her from the still chill spring air.

"Here you go. This is your uniform and you'll be at the swimmer's dorms although you still have to try out to make the team." The receptionist replied merrily

"Thank you!" Ai replied with a bow her blue eyes shining as she gathered her things.

"They're practicing right now if you want to get a jump start. I'm sure they won't mind." The woman added.

'Such a cute young man…' the receptionist thought as she greeted the next student coming in.

Ai came to her dorm seeing the empty halls as she lugged her suitcase in.

'They must all be at practice right now.' She thought excitedly as she came to her door.

'New room new beginnings. I wonder who my roommate will be! I hope she's nice…' she thought as she opened her dorm door seeing the empty bunk beds.

_I was so excited to have a girl roommate. After years of sharing a room with my brother, I was excited of having another girl to talk with and chat through the night._

She hurriedly dressed grabbing her goggles and swimsuit, throwing her jacket, beanie and sweats as she headed over to the swimming pool.

'Wow it's huge!' She peered in her blue eyes widening at the grand size of the pool. '50 meters of amazing pool to practice in.

"Oh hey you new here?" someone asked her.

"Yes." Ai stated with a bow. "I'm Aiichirou Nitori…the lady at the front said I could practice here."

"Okay well if you're suited up, feel free to jump in." One guy spoke to her.

Ai smiled as she grabbed her swim cap and pink goggles from her duffel, before sloughing off her hoodie, revealing a purple and yellow swimsuit underneath.

At that moment she noticed that the excited chatter echoing across the pool deck stopped and all eyes were on her. It was then Ai's blue eyes widened in a harsh realization that she was the only girl there among a sea of male swimmers.

"What's a girl doing here?" A blush hit Ai's cheeks as she clenched her goggles in her hand.

"This is swim practice right?" she asked.

'Please just tell me the girl's team is in a locker room…or not here yet…'

"Yeah…but you're a girl." A boy with part of his hair swept forward as he looked her up and down with dark green eyes.

"Oh is this the boys practice time?" she asked feeling embarrassed. "I'm sorry the receptionist must have thought…"

"It's boys practice all the time…" another guy interrupted with brown hair and purple eyes with a smirk on his face. "You're at a boy's school…"

"What?" she exclaimed her blue eyes widening. "You…you haven't integrated to co-ed?"

"What's going on here?" Ai glanced up to a towering boy with fiery red hair and bright gold eyes.

"She says she goes here Captain."

"But she's a girl." The captain replied looking back at Ai. "You got accepted into Samezuka. Does this mean we're integrating?!" he asked excitedly.

"I don't think so captain otherwise I would have been a lot less reluctant to come here." One boy mumbled bitterly.

"So why are you here?" The captain asked.

"I…I don't know." She murmured softly, her blue eyes wincing.

'Maybe this is some bad dream…' she thought giving a pinch to herself which she hissed at. 'Nope…nope this is real…'

"Let me talk to Sugimoto he ought to clear this up." Seijirou declared.

**_Later that evening-Samezuka Dorm_ **

"They're letting you stay." Her mother's voice came across the cell phone in an assuring tone.

"Mom it's an all boys school." Ai whined back as she lay on the bottom bunk staring at the unoccupied space above.

"Well sweetie we can try to transfer you, but you probably won't be able to switch until summer break." She heard her mother reply.

"But…I…"

"Your father was able to negotiate you to be able to stay there for the time being, but they made it clear they won't make any special accommodations despite your gender."

"Okay…" she said with a soft whine of resignation causing her mother to chuckle from the other end of the line.

"You'll be fine. This is nothing new. You grew up with three older brothers."

'And now I'm trying out to be on a swim team with ten times that many men.' Ai thought as she took in a deep breath trying to steel her nerves.

"Ok thanks mom. Love you." She hung up the phone and fell back against the bed.

'Why me?!' she thought clenching her stuffed seal to her chest.

**_The next day-Samezuka try outs_ **

"Sugimoto-sensei said they're letting you stay! Still want to try out for the team?!" Seijirou exclaimed as Ai walked onto the pool deck.

"Yes." Ai replied softly, looking at the guys who were giving quick glances and murmuring among themselves.

"Okay, but you still have to make these bench mark times." Seijirou claimed his wrist wrapping against a paper hanging on the wall. "Think you can?"

She glanced over at the times as her finger trailed over the print a grimace forming on her face.

'These are pretty fast…I think I can but…it's going to be tough…'

"I…I think so." She answered.

Seijirou chuckled, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You don't sound too sure."

Ai clenched her swim cap tighter in her hands as she glanced determinedly up to him. "Well I'm going to give it my best shot."

"That's the spirit!" He exclaimed giving her a slap on the back that nearly buckled her over. "You didn't just get here on your cute looks so let's see what you got against the other first years."

_My legs had never felt more like jello as I was up on the starter block. Before the start whistle I glanced around seeing guys who were taller, more muscled and who would probably end up smoking me out of the water._

'I'm catching up…I'm catching up…' Ai thought trying to keep pace, but as she swam all she saw was a flurry of bubbles, and currents pushing her all over the lane.

"Wow…" a guy beside Seijirou stated looking at the stopwatch with wide eyes. "This group is pretty fast…and she's not that bad either."

"They kicked it up a notch because they didn't want to fall behind to a girl…" Seijirou stated with a grin. "She's a good motivator."

"So, do you think she'll be able to keep up? I mean she is a girl…"

"I don't doubt it. But let's make sure it's not a fluke." Seijirou replied as he grabbed the stop watch resetting it before he then gave a harsh yell. ". Haul yourselves out of the water, you got other strokes to put up!"

** _A lot of laps later_ **

Ai whipped the goggles off her face leaning on the pool divider panting as she tried to not let tears fall from her eyes.

'Damn it…' she thought dismayed.

She had managed to keep up, but she couldn't make it past the fifth place in every race. 'Maybe…they'll let me use the pool even if I'm not on the team…'

"Hey…girl." The swimmer in the lane next to her grunted out.

Ai pulled her goggles off to see a boy with bright blonde hair staring at her with magenta eyes.

"I…." she took in a few breaths trying to quiet the burn in her lungs. "I have a name."

"Ok so what is it?" he asked with a smirk.

"Aiichirou Nitori…"

He snorted with a laugh. "That's a boy's name."

'Hence why I'm in this mess…' she thought angrily.

"I…I know…" she muttered bitterly.

"You're not bad. I'm surprised you kept up."

Ai's blue eyes widened in shock.

"Thank you…" she murmured, her anger quickly dissolving. "I'm sorry your name is…"

"Toru Ishiwa" he stated holding up a hand. "Hope you make the cut." She brought her hand up giving him a high five before he hauled himself out of the pool.

"Hey Nitori." The captain stated sternly from the pool deck looming over her. Ai glanced up from the water, a wince appearing on her face.

'Yep…you are definitely not making the team.'

The captain smirked before he leaned down holding out a hand. "So you think you made the cut?"

"I…I don't know…" Ai stated unsure, clasping her hand in his as he effortlessly yanked her out, nearly pulling the arm from her socket.

"You're in!" Seijirou stated happily. "I got to say didn't think you were going to keep up, but you should hang just fine. Welcome to the team!"

"Really?!" Ai exclaimed dumbfounded. "I'm…I'm in?"

"Yep but don't think because you're a girl I'm going to go easy on you." Seijirou stated putting his hands on his hips. "So, you better give it your all."

"I will!" Ai replied excitedly giving a deep bow. "Thank you, Mikoshiba Senpai."

"Nice going Nitori." A guy congratulated walking past.

"Thank you." She responded happily.

"See you out there Nitori." Toru stated.

"Same to you." She replied with a soft smile.

** _Back at the dorms_ **

_So I still get to swim and though it's not with the original team dynamic had in mind, I'm really excited. Maybe with the training of a swimming power house like Samezuka I can even make it to nationals…or at least regionals..._

She leaned back against her chair, stretching her arms before she wrapped them around herself. Her fingers clenched the black fabric of her new Samezeka jacket as she gave a bright smile tracing the pattern of the sleeves with a finger tip.

Ai eyes then traveled briefly to the window seeing the night sky and then came to the empty desk next to hers. She gave a small sigh and closed her diary shut.

'Still would have been nice to have a girl roommate though…' she thought.


	2. Chapter 2: New Roommate New Problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all those who read and gave kudos and shout out to ginrin. So hope you enjoy this next chapter which shifts the narration focus a bit.

_April 28_

_My new roommate is the most annoying person on Earth…._

* * *

_ **Samezuka Pool** _

Rin hand smacked the edge of the pool as he panted looking up at the captain, who loomed over him from the deck stopwatch in hand. "You swim like that you'll be setting records in no time." Seijirou stated with a grin.

"I'm glad you decided to join the swim club after all Matsuoka-san." Sugimoto stated as Rin hauled himself from the pool. "With your talent I'm sure you'll make great things happen for Samezuka."

"Thanks." He muttered, rubbing a towel over his drenched hair.

"Normally we would move you to the swimmer dorms which are much closer to the pool, but all of those are occupied."

"Well actually Sugimoto-sensei we do have one bed available." Seijirou stated holding up a finger with a smirk on his face.

"Ok…I'll take that." Rin answered with a shrug. 'I can bear with whatever roommate…'

"There is just one minor detail with that room." Sugiomoto responded, pushing the glasses up his face.

_**Samezeka Dorms** _

"So this would be your new room." Seijirou proclaimed coming to a door within the dorm hallways. Rin burgundy eyes glanced at the 210 decorating the front.

"Ok…" Rin stated his brow arching. 'Why are they being so mysterious about this? Is this guy a psycho or something?'

"Hey Nitori!" The captain knocked on the door a few times. "We're coming in."

"Ok!" A soft voice asked which made Rin's brow arch. 'Kind of a feminine voice…' Rin thought.

The door opened, and Rin's eyes met with bright cornflower blue eyes and an eager smile on a pale soft face bordered by a bob of shoulder length silky lavender hair.

"Oh Mikoshiba-senpai, Sugimoto-sensei…how can I help you…" the voice trailed off looking to Rin behind them.

"We have a question to ask Nitori." The three moved to the far side of the room in a semi-huddle.

Rin eyes glossed over the room before resting on his potential roommate. 'He's too pretty for a guy. Maybe he's a bishounen…' he thought, watching the three talk as those blue eyes briefly glanced over to him before going back to the team advisor and nodding.

"Alright then Matsuoka meet your new roommate. Aichirou Nitori." Sugimoto stated motioning a hand towards Ai.

"It's so nice to meet you Matsuoka-senpai." Ai gave a bow as Rin gave a short nod of his head.

"Yeah…likewise." He murmured looking around before his eyes froze on a garment he didn't expect to see out in the open. A purple sports bra hanging off the back of the chair.

'Wait…no…' he thought his burgundy eyes widening, looking back to Ai and then to the bra. Ai noticed the direction of his gaze and snatched the bra up hurriedly hiding it behind her back as a blush colored her cheeks.

"Sorry I just got back from a jog and I wasn't expecting company…"

"Wait…you're a girl?!" Rin exclaimed shocked.

"Ah…" The blush on her cheeks deepened as she gave him a timid smile. "Yes….I'm a girl."

"No…no way…" Rin huffed angrily. "I'm not rooming with a girl! What's a girl doing here anyway?!"

"We admit it is a bit unorthodox." Sugimoto responded.

"It's the only room available on this side of the campus." The captain said with a shrug. "Unless you want to live in a closet."

"How big is the closet?" Rin grumbled out.

"I'm…I'm ok with it." Ai replied softly the men's eyes focusing on her. "I shared a room with my brother for years, so I'm use to rooming with a boy."

"See Matsuoka!" the captain clapped him on the back as Rin gave Seijirou a side glare and a scowl in response.

"I hope you two understand that there will not be any toleration of any sexual encounters or romantic relations whilst you are sharing a room." Sugimoto stated sternly towards the two teenagers looking over with the rim of his glasses with a firm glare.

"Hai!" Ai stated with a bow.

Rin looked the girl over donned in an oversize shirt that swallowed her torso and baggy shorts that danced past her knees. His eyes then traveled to her chest with practically nothing showing underneath the fabric. 'She's flatter than me…' he thought.

"Yeah it's not going to be a problem." Rin surmised as Ai nodded eagerly to the advisor.

"And I live right across the hall, so I would hear." Seijirou said with a bright smile and a wink.

"Alright well it's settled. Welcome to the swim club Matsuoka-san." Sugimoto exclaimed.

The two watched as the advisor and captain exited their room and shut the door. Ai then flashed Rin a smile as she tossed her bra in the hamper.

"I promise that won't happen again." She stated bashfully.

"Please don't." Rin grunted out dropping his duffel bag to the floor as he glanced around the room.

He saw the chaotic desk to the left laden with books and scattered pictures with a grimace. He thought back to the sports bra hanging out in the open.

'So, she's messy…'

For a moment it was utterly quiet as Ai hands were behind her back, her smile unfaltering as she looked towards Rin. "I'm sorry that you're in this situation." Ai offered trying to break the tension. "It's kind of funny I mean you thought you'd be with a boy and I have a boy's name, but I'm a girl. I thought I would be rooming with a girl and you have a girl's name but…." She trailed off seeing the slight glare in his maroon eyes.

"Sorry…" she stated apologetically the smile falling from her face.

"It's fine." Rin grunted out, opening his bag and pulling out his books.

'Does she always talk this much?' he thought as he began stacking his text books on the desk shelf.

"So…" Ai took a seat on the bottom bed. "Matsuoka-senpai do you prefer to be on top or on bottom?" Rin's burgundy eyes widened as he looked at her from the desk, nearly dropping the book in his hand.

"What?" he sputtered out.

"Do you prefer to be on top or on bottom." She repeated with a cheerful grin, her hands patting the mattress.

'Is she asking what I think she's asking?' he glanced at her innocent expression and wide blue eyes.

"Uh…"

'What's not a mean way of saying I'm not or I'll never be into you…' Rin thought as he watched Ai's unfaltering smile on her face.

"I don't mind either bunk, so I'll leave the choice up to you." She added.

"Oh…yeah…bottom." He replied indifferently going back to shelving his books.

"Okay…" Ai stated cheerfully as she gathered her pillow and stuffed seal from the bottom bunk, throwing it to the one above.

Rin went back to shelving his books as he watched her sit atop her new bunk space, humming a soft tune to herself as she wrote in a notebook.

'It's going to be a long year…' he thought with an inward groan.

* * *

_You figure someone in her situation would struggle, but she always keeps a damned smile on her face. She reminds me a lot of Nagisa. Happy and annoying._

Rin watched Ai in her purple bathing suit, her pink goggles hanging off her neck as stretched her arms, the bright smile still on her face.

'How can she be on this team?' he watched her snap her swim cap on lining up with the other first years. As the whistle blew she launched herself from the starter block and he grimaced.

'Her take off form sucks…but….'

His eyes followed her pale form cut through the water, lean arms arching out as legs deftly kicked out fighting against the current of the swimmers around her. She never got past last place, but she managed to keep within a hand reach of the swimmer in front of her. 'I guess her stroke doesn't suck…' he surmised, watching as she whipped off her swim cap, drenched locks now framing her face.

"She's pretty good right?" Seijirou asked with a grin, noticing the focus of Rin's eyes.

"She's okay…" Rin answered pulling his own goggles over his head.

'Okay enough to swim here I guess…'

"Nitori I told you to watch that bend in your legs!" Seijiriou yelled as Ai came around the pool deck to line up again.

"Right Captain!" She responded with a nod and a smile. "Sorry."

"Yeah Nitori." The guy with brown hair to her right stated before giving a shove knocking her into the pool.

Rin looked over to the captain expecting him to say something, but he just gave a chuckle watching as Ai came up to the surface. He was shocked to see the smile still on her petite mouth as she pointed at the guy who shoved her in.

"I'm pulling you in next time Kazumi-san!" she declared as she hauled herself back onto the pool deck.

Rin scoffed as he lined up waiting for his turn on the starting block.

* * *

_And for some reason it's like I can't get away from her._

"You want someone to time you?" Rin panted looking up from the pool, seeing Ai crouched down to him.

"It's fine."

"I'll time you." She stated holding up a stopwatch in her fingers. "If you don't know your exact time how are you going to improve? Every second counts!"

"Fine…" he muttered before launching himself off the wall.

Ai watched as he kicked off from the pools edge, the smooth stride of his strokes cutting through the water.

'Wow…' she thought as pressed the stop button as his hand slammed against the pool tile.

"That was amazing!" she replied excitedly. "Especially that last push."

Rin hauled himself out of the pool and was met with his bright red towel in her pale hand.

"Here you go!"

"Why are you sticking around?" Rin grumbled as he ran the towel over his head.

"I wait a bit after practice to let my hair dry, so I won't catch a cold." She replied merrily. "Normally I just swish my feet in the water, but it's nice to watch you Matsuoka Senpai! You're an amazing swimmer."

"Thanks…" he mumbled as she continued on, undeterred by his grumpy response. "It's amazing. Especially the stroke of your legs. The way you take off is so dynamic. It's really something to see…"

'She never stops talking does she?' he thought as he slung his jacket on. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Ok I'll see you at dinner." Ai responded as she gathered her things.

"Don't we see enough of each other?" he asked annoyed.

Rin flinched seeing the smile briefly drop from her face before it was hastily put back on.

"Ah…I guess I didn't notice, but you're right Matsuoka-Senpai. See you back at the room!"

Rin watched her walk out of the pool deck and he sighed, running the towel over his head again. 'Seeing you at our dorm is plenty enough…'

* * *

_And yet I still see her…_

'23….24…25….' he grunted and paused his sit ups to adjust his feet under the metal bar again.

"Do you want me to hold your feet down?"

Rin looked over to see a trendily of lavender hair cascading from the bunk above and cornflower blue eyes peeking curiously at him.

"What?" The hair and eyes disappeared, and she climbed down the ladders before hopping into his bunk. "It's hard to keep your feet under the bars, but I can hold them for you…just let me know when you're done."

"You don't have to."

"It's fine..." she stated as she grasped his feet. Rin hissed almost kicking out his legs at the touch of her hands.

"Are your hands always this cold?!"

"Sorry!…." She stated withdrawing her palms and rubbing them hastily together in an attempt to warm them up. Rin noticed the faint blush spreading across her cheeks. "That's not the first time someone told me that. I wish I was like you Matsuoka-senpai! Are you always so warm?"

"Yeah…why are you so cold..."

"I don't know…" she responded with a shrug of her shoulders before she placed her hands back on his feet again. "Is that better?"

"Ah…yeah…" he grunted out before he continued doing his sit ups again.

* * *

_Her stuff is everywhere._

'Damn…' Rin thought listening to the teacher as he propped his head in his hand. He felt his stomach growl again and he cursed at himself for forgetting to grab something for breakfast.

'Just need to hang on till lunch…' he thought bitterly as the words of the teacher drifted over him. He leaned over to his bag, his fingers rummaging for a pencil til he stopped, the tips of his fingers hitting a wrinkling plastic.

'What the hell is this?' he thought peering into his bag. He moved his text books aside seeing a dark protein bar encased in a Ziploc bag. 'Where did this…'

He stopped in his trail of thought as he shook his head with a roll of his eyes, trying to concentrate back to the lecture once more. 'She really can't mind her own business can she…?' As the bell rang, Rin gathered his things and grimaced feeling his stomach growl again. He rummaged through his bag, pulling out the protein bar and gave it a cautionary sniff. The whiff of dark chocolate hitting his nostrils before he took a bite, his brow arching as he gave a few slow chews.

'Not bad…' he thought as he took another bite, the dark chocolate adding a bitterness to the sweetness of oats and the peanut butter of the bar.

"Oh good you got it!" He stopped at the recognizable female remark, turning around to see NItori with a bag over her shoulders.

"Yeah...why'd you put it in my bag?" Rin asked holding up the remains of the protein bar in his fingers.

"Just in case you got hungry." She stated walking alongside him. "I always like to have a snack on me just in case. Do you like it? Mkoshiba-senpai doesn't think it has enough chocolate, but I think he has a bit of a sweet tooth because he wanted less oats, less nuts, less rice powder and more chocolate."

"Isn't that just a candy bar?" Rin asked as he finished up the last bit of the protein bar.

"That's what I thought!" she stated with a small giggle. "Maybe I'll try milk chocolate instead of dark."

"I prefer dark chocolate." Rin replied as he popped the rest of the bar in his mouth.

"Me too! Actually next time I want to add some spice to give it some extra…." She stopped the bell ringing before she took off in a light jog, the bag bouncing on her shoulders. "Bye Matsuoka-senpai!"

'Always so freaking happy…'

* * *

_The protein bars I don't mind, but it's her other crap…_

_Rin kept trying to fight against the current, but the ocean waters kept slamming him, tossing and bruising his body as he tried to keep pushing toward the surface. His lungs burned, and he opened his mouth trying to take a frenzied breath but all that was let in was water, before he gave a strangled gargle._

_Just as he closed his eyes feeling his limbs grow weak, he felt something fall against his chest. He grasped onto it, feeling the warmth underneath his fingers as it tugged him up to the surface. As soon as he broke the waters edge he felt the warmth of the sun falling on him as he clung tighter to whatever had pulled him from the cold shadowy depths. He stayed like that for awhile til in the distance he faintly heard a boat blare over and over again._

Rin's eyes snapped open and winced hearing the alarm of his cellphone blare before he reached over shutting it off. He then rolled over seeing a pair of wide orb like blue eyes attached to a plush white harbor seal toy staring at him. He snatched the toy in his hands with a confused stare as he raised himself from the bunk.

'Did she stick this in my bed?' he thought with a scowl. He glanced over seeing Nitori rolled in her blanket, her back towards him.

"Nitori…Nitori…" He prodded her with his finger as he watched her giving a murmur rolling deeper into the comforter.

"HEY NITORI!" he bellowed causing her to snap up with a small scream.

"Ah!" her head hastily shook around before her eyes rested on Rin and she gave a relieved sigh. "Matsuoka-senpai you scared me. Is everything okay?"

"What the hell is this?" Rin snapped, holding up the seal plushie.

"Kawaii Desu Ne." She murmured softly, rubbing her eyes.

"Why is it in my bed?!" he asked tossing it to her, smacking her in the face.

"You were turning a lot last night and you looked like you were having a bad dream, so I put him in bed with you." She held it up her big blue wide eyes mirroring the harbor seals.

"Why?!"

"Ah…oh you've never been a kid with a blanket or a toy? I hug him and I feel better. And when you hugged it, it seemed you stopped being so scared in your sleep."

"Keep your crap out of my bed." He mumbled. "I don't need it to sleep."

"Oh…ok…" She looked down in embarrassment, bringing the seal to her chest. "I'm sorry Matsuoka-senpai."

_The most annoying thing about her though…_

"Can you clean your freaking desk?" Rin snapped looking over at the topples of books, pencils, papers and other crap that was scattered across the wood.

"Oh! Sorry!" Ai replied as she grabbed a paper from the pile. "I'll tidy up just let me get Mikoshiba-senpai's opinion on this regiment."

'I can check that…probably a lot better than that air head.' He thought but rolled his eyes going to back to typing on his laptop.

"Captain, can you look over my training regimen?" Ai asked as she came across the hall.

"Sure I can." He proclaimed with a grin dropping some papers in his grasp and held out his hand. Ai noticed the untidiness of scattered clothes, swimsuits, towels and muscle magazines across the room with a small smile.

'Nice to know I'm not the only messy one here…' she thought as she watched Seijirou's eyes scan the page.

"Looks good Nitori!" he stated handing it back to her. "Just make sure you aren't pushing yourself too hard."

"Of course!" she responded heading back to her room, but she stopped seeing a large calendar along the wall filled with writing and numbers.

"Is this our training schedules?" Ai questioned as her blue eyes poured over the days.

"Yeah looks good right?!" Seijirou asked excitedly.

"Ah…yeah…" Ai said forcing a smile on her face.

"You don't sound convincing. Something wrong?"

"Well…we have this day off." She pointed at a square. "So that will throw the regiment off a bit. Plus…here is a first round of exams so wouldn't it be better if we moved the heavier days over to this part of the week?"

"Oh." Seijirou rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "Sorry trying to get all these times together I forgot about the off days."

"Oh I have a program on my laptop for that from being vice-captain in middle school! It helps organizes the times and keeps linear track of progression!"

"Seriously?!" Seijirou asked. "If you could that be a huge help than all this." He stated shuffling the papers around.

"Yeah I'll be right back." She stated excitedly, dashing across the hall.

Ai came back in her room and went to her desk before she shoved some books over that then fell on the floor.

"Is that your way of tidying up?" Rin asked annoyed.

"Oh right I'll get to that later Matsuoka-Senpai. I'm helping the Captain right now." Ai responded with a bright smile as she peered into her drawers, knocking over another tower of books.

"You said you'd tidy up!"

"After I help the Captain." She responded as she let out an excited gasp holding up her sticker covered laptop. "There it is!"

"Why are you helping the Captain?" Rin growled.

"He needs some help organizing times and schedules."

"Isn't that his job as Captain?"

"Yes, but if I can help him I will."

"Why? Are you vice-captain or some other crap like that?"

"No but…if I can help and make the team better than I should." Ai responded, holding the laptop to her chest. "In the end it's about the team, right?"

Rin mouth stammered trying to find a response as he locked eyes with her again, her bright blue cornflower irises resolute.

"Yeah…I guess." He grumbled reluctantly going back to his own electronic screen. 'For the team, huh?' he thought as he continued typing before his eyes traveled across the hall to see Ai sitting at the captain's desk as he leaned over while she pointed excitedly at the laptop screen. Seijirou had a bright grin on his face as his hand ruffled her hair before she went back to typing, her lips moving up and down.

He took in a breath as he went back to his own work, briefly stealing glances at the two between typed paragraphs.

* * *

"And there you go!" Ai stated as she pointed to an orange line diagonally stretching across the screen. "Here are your times…" Her fingers trailed down landing on a red line below it. "And there's Matsuoka-senpai's times…"

"Huh….well he is faster." Seijirou declared with a shrug and a smile. "But I'm okay with that."

"Why is that Captain?" Ai asked peering up at him from the desk.

"Oh well he can have his fast times." Seijirou reached over and slammed the laptop shut. "Just as long as I get to have you."

He then spun Ai in the chair before lifting her up, his lips colliding with hers in a rough kiss. Ai's pale arms came up wrapping around his neck as her legs wrapped around his torso and she gave a soft moan into his mouth. One of his hands came down to the hem of her shift, lifting it up and…

Rin eyes snapped open and he cursed when he looked down, seeing the wide blue eyes of the seal peering up at him with the adorable unblinking gaze. He snatched the toy by the neck and stood up from the bunk, his head snapping over to the top bed, seeing a curled-up Ai in her comforter, gray lavender hair pooling over the pillow. 'I already told her I don't need this in my bed.' He was about to throw the seal, but his eyes noticed the soft smile on her face as she gently breathed in and out. He sighed deciding to just drop it into the bunk.

'So what? She's in my dreams now?!' he thought irritated, as he grabbed his running sweats. After he changed he knelt down to open the mini fridge and grabbed a bottle of water to take with him on his jog. Rin's burgundy eyes then noticed the row of protein bars in zip locked bags. He shut the fridge, but then opened it again with a sigh before he grabbed one shoving it in his pocket. A high pitched voice broke out in song with techno melodies that bounced off the room walls. He looked over to the bunk as she rolled over and silenced the alarm before she raised herself from the bed stretching her arms above her head. Her blue eyes were still hazy, hair frizzed to one side as she gave Rin a soft sleepy smile. "Going for a run Matsuoka-Senpai?"

"Yeah…"

"Ok. Have a good one!" she chimed.

'Even in the morning...' he thought before popping in his ear buds and exiting the room. As he jogged he felt the protein bar in his pocket lightly smacking against him with each stride. 'But I guess she could be worse...'


	3. Chapter 3: New Connections to New Waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ai meets a new face and learns more about her roommate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey thanks for all who are reading love you all! Especially you ginrin!  
> Struggled a little bit with this chapter, but I think the next few will have a better flow. Anyway hope you enjoy.

_Dear Diary,_

_I have a new roommate whose name is Rin Matsuoka. And though it does sound like a girl he's not._ _I heard he studied abroad in Australia for swimming. It took me a moment to realize I've seen Matsuoka-senpai swim before in a tournament for elementary school. The relay back then was so wonderful!_ _I was expecting him to be more…happy and exciting, but he's not exactly the friendliest person._

Ai stopped her writing to glance over at Rin who was on his laying on his bunk bed, his burgundy eyes glossing over some book pages.

_Which is curious because his sister seems really nice._

* * *

 

The dorm room phone rang as Ai looked up from her book. 'Oh must be Mitsukuni.' She thought happily. "Moshi! Moshi!" she greeted expecting to hear the deep voice of her brother from the other line.

"Oh…hi…" a feminine voice stated unsurely. "I'm sorry I think I have the wrong number."

"Who were you looking for?" Ai asked. "I'm sure I can find the right number for you."

"Rin Matsuoka."

"You have the right room." Ai chirped happily. "This is his roommate Aichirou Nitori."

'I wonder if this is Matsuoka-senpai's girlfriend.' She thought with a tilt of her head. 'Hard imagining him with a girlfriend though, but maybe he is a tsundere and she managed…'

"Is he there?" the voice broke her out of her thought.

"Oh sorry may I ask who's calling?"

"Matsuoka Kou."

"Matsuoka? Are you his sister?" Ai exclaimed.

"Yes. Any chance he's there?"

"He's not, but I can take a message if you like."

"No…it's fine." Kou replied, Ai noticing the hint of sadness in her voice. "But thank you, it was nice talking to you…I'm sorry what was your name again?"

"Aichirou Nitori."

"It was nice talking to you Nitori-san."

"You too Matsuoka-san." She replied as she hung up the phone.

_We've had a few conversation's after that. I keep telling Matsuoka-senpai that she called, but all he does is make a small murmur of agreement and that's it. I wouldn't worry so much, but it seems like Matsuoka-senpai doesn't talk to anyone. He's kind of surly. Although, he did do something nice the other day…_

"Eh…" she tilted her head, tapping the pencil against the paper as her blue eyes scanned the page again.

'I wonder if this is right…' She looked over to Rin who was on his bed, reading another book about competitive swimming.

"Matsuoka-senpai?"

"What?" Rin curtly asked.

"Ah…never mind." She turned back to her homework as she bit the eraser of her pencil. 'It sounds good, but…'

She looked over to him again and Rin glanced over his burgundy eyes meeting hers. "What, Nitori?"

"I'm sorry Matsuoka-Senpai. Can you just look over these translations for me?" she asked holding up her notebook, her blue eyes peering over the edge pleadingly. "Since you were in Australia I'm sure your English is amazing."

He dropped his book on his bed and walked over to the desk, before he leaned over her. She watched Rin's eyes scan the page as she nervously twisted her pencil in her hands before Rin turned his dead-pan gaze at her. "This is awful."

Ai deflated, putting her forehead on the desk with a whine. "I thought it sounded okay…."

He brushed some of his hair back before he gave a begrudging sigh as he heard her despondent whining. "It's not totally awful. Just your tenses are off."

"Oh really?" she scanned it over before she looked up at him a wince on her face. "Um…"

"You don't know which ones do you?" Rin stated with crossed arms.

"Ah…" her blue eyes scanned the page before she gave a small whine and a shake of her head. "No…"

"How can you not know something this simple?" Rin asked irritated as Ai flinched momentarily dropping her pencil before she scrambled putting it to the page again.

"I've never been good at English!" she whimpered as she pointed her pencil tip to a word. "Is this one of the ones that are wrong?"

Rin rolled his eyes as he reached over to his desk hauling his chair over and taking a seat next to her. "Yes…one of many. Like this one here…"

"You're going to help me with my English Matsuoka-senpai?!" Ai beamed towards him.

Rin saw her blue eyes brighten, almost sparkling.

'She turns on a dime…' he thought as he propped his head on his hand.

"Not if you keep talking." he snapped, pointing at the book with a finger. "You want my help or not?"

She eagerly nodded as he continued to correct her translations.

_His pronunciations are perfect. When he speaks English it's like talking to a foreigner and he really helped me with my homework even if he didn't want to at first. My grandfather would tell me to always try to find the good in people and I think underneath the rudeness and brooding he is actually a nice guy._

**A few days later**

Ai thrummed her hand against the wood of her desk as she blue eyes scanned the pages of her book. She gave a merry hum to herself as her finger traced the lines before a phone rang that broke her out of her cheery tune.

"Hello?" Ai asked as she picked up the phone.

"Nitori-san!"

"Matsuoka-san!" she replied cheerfully. "I'm sorry your brother isn't here right now, but did you want me to take…"

"Actually Nitori-kun, I called to talk to you."

"Oh…why?" Ai asked as she clutched the receiver closer to her face.

"I was wondering if we could meet up."

"You want to meet me?" Ai's eyes widened in shock. "Why do you want to meet me?"

"I have some questions I wanted to ask you, but I'd rather do it in person than over the phone."

"Oh okay." Ai responded unsurely. "Where did you want to meet?"

"There's a cute little café near a train station. Can we meet there tomorrow in the afternoon?"

"Ok…"

"Oh and don't tell my brother because I think he wouldn't be happy about it." Gou added hastily.

"Oh…alright…" Ai responded. "I'll see you soon Matsuoka-san."

_**The Next Day** _

"Where you going?" Rin watched from his bunk as Ai slipped a purple cardigan over her pink shirt dress that had a graphic print of a duck peeking out of a pocket.

"I'm just going to go food shopping." She replied with a forced smile as she rolled some white knee high socks up her legs.

"Didn't you just go?" Rin asked.

"Ah…yes, but I forgot some things." She said sheepishly, as she rubbed the back of her head.

"I'll go with you." Rin stated before he stood up, grabbing his sneakers. "I need to pick up…"

"No you can't!" Ai blurted out frightfully, holding up her hands in front of Rin.

Rin gave her a bewildered stare as he watched her put her hands over her mouth, a blush tinting her cheeks at the outburst.

"What?"

"I…I'm not picking up food." Ai rapidly responded as she nervously brought her hands together.

"You just said you were." Rin replied in an exasperated tone.

"Yeah…" she tenderly agreed looking to the side.

"Where you going, Nitori?" his burgundy eyes narrowed toward the girl.

'Ah…think of something quick… …' Ai had never been a convincing liar as her mind stumbled to come up with something believable, a wince appearing on her face.

"Tampons! I'm getting tampons Matsuoka-Senpai!" she let out in a flurry as she shut her eyes in embarrassment.

"Why are you telling me that?!" Rin asked irately with a scowl on his face.

"Because you asked!"

"Just say you want to go by yourself next time." Rin said with a roll of his eyes before going back to his bunk. Ai gave a sigh of relief before she grabbed her purse slinging it over her shoulder and scurried out of the room.

'This café is adorable.' Ai thought waiting outside as her blue eyes scanned the white and red umbrellas over the picturesque metal blue tables. 'I wonder if Kou-chan looks like Matsuoka -Senpai? He is handsome and athletic, so his sister may be very pretty…although I don't look like my brothers so…'

She continued to wait, watching as a few couples strolled by her and a group of teenage girls animatedly talking. 'Did she say she was coming with someone…?' Ai glanced over at her watch, her blue eyes widening at the time. 'Maybe she got held up...' She thought before she heard her phone ring and she glanced at the number before she picked it up.

"Nitori-kun are you running late?" Ai recognized Kou's voice.

"No I'm here…at least I hope I'm at the right place. Nona Café right?" Ai asked, before she glanced up at the sign.

"Yes but I don't see any….you're a girl?!"

Ai then peered into the café window her eyes scanning the patrons before they rested on a girl sitting at a table. She had large angular maroon eyes highly reminiscent of Rin's and long burgundy hair pulled back into a high pony tail. She also had a red phone pressed to her ear and her mouth was slightly ajar as her eyes met Ai's.

'The Matsuoka's have good genes…' Ai thought as she hung up the phone before giving a wave through the glass.

* * *

"I thought you just sounded feminine over the phone I didn't think you were actually a girl." Kou embarrassingly admitted over her iced coffee as she looked at Ai sitting across the cafe table with a tea cup set in front of her.

"It's nice to know at least I sound like a girl." Ai replied with a shrug of her shoulders and a smile as she stirred her tea.

"And you're rooming with my brother?" Kou asked in disbelief, but a wide smile on her face.

"Yes…he's…" Ai trailed off as she stirred the tea trying to come up with the right word to describe her broody, slightly anti-social sempai.

"You can say difficult." Kou added with a smirk.

"I…I was going to say interesting."

"What do you mean?"

"He has so much talent when it comes to swimming. He's extremely driven. It's like everything else is just background."

Gou took in a deep breath as she propped her head on her hand. "Yeah…that's what I thought. This is going to sound weird, but does he talk to anyone at the school?"

"Ah…" Ai mind thought back to the times she saw him at school, the pool deck and at the cafeteria.

'He's always alone…' she thought sadly.

"Um…"

"He's alone, isn't he." Kou answered.

"Ye…yes." Ai faintly responded.

For a moment all while silent except the occasion whirl of the train and the idle chatter as passengers disembarked. Finally, Kou offered a smile looking toward Ai.

"I'm sorry to ask you out here. It's just my brother hasn't talked to me and I just want to see how he's doing."

"He hasn't' talked to you at all?" Ai asked in awe.

Gou shook her head as she idly played with the straw in her cup. "I know he's going through something right now. I just wish he would talk to somebody. Anybody. Instead it seems like he's just withdrawing into himself."

"Was he always like this?" Ai questioned. Her mind flashed to a more cheerful Rin who was encased in the wet arms of his teammates a bright smile during the elementary relay.

"No...he was like this only after studying in Australia."

"What happened to him in Australia?"

"I don't know." Gou replied, staring down at her drink; the shimmer in her burgundy eyes fading a bit. "He was so excited when he left, but every time he came home….he seemed distant and now he's..." she trailed off a her eyes met Ai's and she gave a soft smile. "That's why I became the manager of the swim team for Iwatobi. I think maybe if he's able to swim with his friends again maybe…he can be happier like his old self."

"His friends? Haruka, Makato and Nagisa?" Ai asked.

"Yeah, how did you know?"  
"It's…It's a long story! I won't bore you with the details…"

Kou nodded as Ai glanced down at her cup of tea as her pointer finger flicked the rim a few times.

"Matsuoka-san…" she murmured.

"You can call me Kou-chan." Kou offered.

"Oh really?!" Ai asked happily.

Gou nodded reflecting the girls bright smile. "You seem like you're really nice to my brother….even if he's not the friendliest in return." She muttered.

"Oh…he's okay. He's not friendly in the traditional way but he is nice…in his own way. And I understand why you're trying so hard. If any of my brothers were upset I would want to make him feel better too…." Ai replied with a small comforting smile. "You're just being a good sister because you care a lot."

"I do. I know he puts up a tough front, but I want him to be able to open up to someone, even if it's not me."

"I'll…I'll try Kou-chan." Ai stated suddenly, holding up a pinky finger.

"You'll try what?"

"I promise I'll try to make sure Rin's not totally alone. And you try to get your guys up to shape so they can swim against him!"

A wide smile spread across Kou's face as she laced her pink fingers with Ai giving a small squeeze. "It's a deal." She stated determinedly.

'She got to see his softer side…' Ai thought as she took another sip of her drink. 'Maybe someday I can too.'

"Ai-kun…chan!" Kou corrected embarrassingly.

"Ai-kun is okay too." Ai replied with a giggle.

"No it's not! You're a girl you should go by Ai-chan. Anyways, I have one more favor to ask."

"What is it?"

* * *

**Samezuka Pool**

Practice was in full force as a plethora of muscled swimmers stretched before going onto the diving blocks and taking off.

Gou eyes were wide and shimmering, a flurry of sparkles around her face as she put a hand over her mouth. She ogled the muscles through the window space for a moment before she quickly shook herself into a more serious demeanor, glancing at AI.

"Are you sure this will work?" she asked.

"Yes. I already laid the groundwork with Sugimoto-sensei, so all you have to do is run it by the Captain! Wait here I'll go get him." Ai animatedly replied as she trotted off onto the pool deck.

"Watch those arms Daisuke!" Seijirou shouted to swimmers as they tore through the water. "You aren't going to go anywhere with those noodles!"

"Mikoshiba-senpai! Sorry to interrupt." Ai stated with a bow as she came to his side.

"Yeah Nitori?" he questioned. "What's up?"

"I have a question. Well not me, but my friend she's the manager of a swim team from a nearby school."

"Where?"

"Iwatobi."

"No. I mean where's your friend?" Seijirou questioned.

"Over in the…" Ai pointed to the window to a Gou who gave a wave and a smile.

"Oh hey she's back! You're friends with Rin's sis?" Seijirou asked excitedly.

"Y…yes!" Ai responded with a bright grin. "And she wants to ask you something that is very important."

* * *

"You want to have a joint practice." Seijirou asked his mouth set in a straight line and his eyes firm as he glowered at the manager from Iwatobi. Gou briefly gave Ai a worried side eyed glance before drawing her gaze up towards Seijirou with a small nod.

"Yes…" she replied feebly.

"I think that's a great idea!" Seijirou exclaimed, latching onto to Gou's petite hands, his eyes and smile wide and eager. "Nothing like some friendly rivalry to get things even more heated up. This is going to be awesome!"

"Oh yay." Gou pulled back trying to tug away from his grasp.

"I'll go over the details with her Mikoshiba-senpai!" Ai stated managing to tug Gou away.

"Alright can't wait!" Seijirou called after the two girls with a boisterous wave.

"Is he always like that?" Gou asked.

"Yeah." Ai replied with a small giggle. "You get used to it. So, I already talked about it with Sugimoto-sensei and you can join our practice tomorrow. But since this is an official practice and for you guys to be allowed to use our facility you need to have at least four swimmers on your team."

"Okay! I'll make sure we're ready. Thank you Ai-chan." Kou said with a bow of her head and a smile.

"No problem Kou-chan!" Ai waved as she went back to the pool, some guys eagerly looking at her.

"Hey Ai that your friend?" one of the other first years asked excitedly.

"Yes. That's Matsuoka Kou."

"You got any other friends like that? Preferably ones with brothers who don't look like they'll strangle me to death for dating their sister?" Another guy asked. "Please say you do." Ai put a forced smile on her face trying to fight a cringe.

"Uh…"

"Hey you want to chat or you want to practice?!" Seijirou barked. The first years scampered to the starting blocks Ai following before she was stopped by the captain.

"Hey Ai…did Kou-chan mention anything about me?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Uh…she thinks you're nice for letting her team join us for practice." Ai offered quickly before lining up behind the others at the starting block.

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_So we had our joint practice with the Iwatobi swimmers. Matsuoka-senpai wasn't that excited about it when it was brought up on the team jog._

"No one told me it was going to be a joint practice." Rin muttered as they paused under a shade of the tree.

Ai leaned herself on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "The…the captain made that call on his own."

She finally managed to get her breathing back to normal as she stood up offering Rin a bright smile.

"It's kind of funny. If you look at who's coming from the school Makoto Tachibana…Haruka Nanase…Nagisa Hazuki…you would think they were a team of girls…" She trailed off seeing the glare in Rin's eyes. "Sorry."

"How do you know so much about them." Rin questioned.

"Mikoshiba-sensei wants me to help out during the practice, so I saw their roster, but also…" Ai replied as she wiped some sweat from her brow with her sleeve. "I was there during that relay you guys did in elementary. That was the last one you did in grade school, right?"

Rins eyes widened slightly at her declaration. "You were at the tournament?"

Ai nodded as they resumed jogging. "Yeah actually my team's freestyle swimmer was a cousin of a swimmer from Iwatobi. I think her last name was Yaka…Yakazaki. Does that ring any bells?"

'Still…I would really like to see him…trying his best with the rest of us…' A wistful voice echoed in Rin's mind.

"That was a long time ago." he murmured.

"It was!" Ai agreed. "But I remember it so vividly. My team actually got second in the girls medley relay. Afterwards we watched the boys relay and I got to say you guys were…amazing." She looked over to Rin's with a shine to her eyes and that ever smile on her lips.

His own burgundy eyes briefly locked with hers before he turned his face forward, quickening his steps. "Come on we're falling behind."

_The practice was interesting to say the least. Although, Matsuoka Senpai wasn't that happy to see his friends again. He stormed off, but Kou-chan and I noticed him watching from the upper deck of the pool. I also had to get their new member to change into a swimsuit and he seemed very reluctant too. That was probably due to the fact he couldn't swim and did a big belly flop during his time trial._

_The most amazing part during the practice was seeing Haruka Nanase swim. Everything about him is so smooth and seamless, the way he swims it's like he flows through the water, not forcing himself through it. It's totally breath taking. It's amazing that he has so much talent._

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Rin asked coming out from the bathroom, as he was drying his hair with a towel which was damp from the practice before. "Are you working on your English again?"

"Ah…no no…" Ai responded as she hastily shut her diary shoving it under some papers. "I was just thinking about adjusting my regiments. I think I plateaued a bit so I'm hoping Mikoshiba Sensei can look them over for me."

"I can look them over too." Rin muttered as he sat on his bunk continuing to run the towel over his head.

"Oh that's nice of you." Ai replied as she stood up from her desk, zipping up her Samezuka jacket. "But I think it's just a wall with my swimming….I'm starting to think it all comes down to talent like you have. I mean the way you keep improving is amazing."

"If you swam as much as you complimented me you would have your own style by now."

"Ah…" Ai bashfully looked down. "Sorry it's just when you see talent like that it's hard not to compliment. I envy those who seem to have that natural talent like Nanase showed at the joint practice!"

"Interesting?" Rin asked drawing the towel away from his face. Ai flinched seeing the harsh glare in his burgundy eyes, harsher than she had ever seen before directed at her. "Do you honestly think that?"

Ai stammered to find words as Rin stood up from the bed. "They just started their swim club and they haven't even put any real work yet. Their out of shape. I can tell just by looking at them." He tossed the towel over his shoulder before he left the room, grabbing his sneakers on the way out.

Ai caught the towel as her blue eyes glossed over the crumpled shark figure on the black fabric and she sighed. 'I guess Matsuoka-senpai doesn't consider Nanase a friend anymore, but he is definitely a rival.'

Her eyes looked over to the door he exited as she dropped the towel in the hamper. 'I'm starting to wonder if swimming against Nanase is the only thing he cares about.'

* * *

 

Rin panted as he continued running across the campus, feeling that familiar coil of anger in his stomach as his mind thought back to the race with Nanase. 'Victory means jack to someone in that condition. I refuse to count that as a win.'

He felt that coil of rage grow tighter as he ran faster. 'He doesn't care about times. He doesn't care about winning. All that talent….' His mind flashed to Ai, her blue eyes bright as she described Nanase.

"I envy those who seem to have that natural talent like Nanase showed at the joint practice!"

His steps slowed a bit before he shook his head as he picked up his pace again. 'Since when did you care about what other people think?' he angrily asked himself. 'Just focus on what you're here for.'


	4. Chapter 4: New Revelations and New Swimsuits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another entry in Ai's diary as she learns more about Rin

_Dear Diary,_

_I've learned even more about Matsuoka-senpai these past few days. One amazing thing I learned about Matsuoka-senpai was while I was out food shopping after practice._

* * *

The rain beat against her yellow umbrella as Ai strolled across the campus while idly swinging her grocery bag in hand.

'I hope I got everything…' Ai thought before she jumped slightly at the deep rumble of the skies overhead. She quickened her pace, her purple goulashes slapping against the ground as the rain beat harder. She jumped again when out of the corner of her eyes she glimpsed a shadowed figure hunched over. 'What's that?!'

She stopped, gripping the handle of her umbrella tighter as the shadow raised itself and began to jog. 'Is that…?' her eyes caught a glimpse of the dark jacket immediately recognizing the black and yellow pattern.

'Oh that's Matsuoka-senpai…was he on a run?' she jogged over and began to trail behind him. 'He's going to get sick if he doesn't get out of this rain.' She managed to keep pace, her grocery bag beating against her while she clumsily tried to keep her umbrella overhead. 'Why's he going over here? This is the older part of Samezuka.…'

She saw him duck into an abandoned building and she gave a sigh of relief, hurriedly folding up her umbrella and setting it against the wall with her groceries once she was inside past the creaky door. She tentatively walked through the hallways before she saw him hunched over, his hoodie now off.

"Matsuoka-senpai…" Ai murmured softly. He jumped, turning over to her with a glare with his hoodie bunched in his arms.

"Damn Ai you scared me! Why are you here?" he snapped.

"I…I was out food shopping and I saw you in the rain and…" she trailed off when she noticed the fabric of the hoodie began to shift. Her blue eyes widened, before they nearly popped out of her head when a black cat with bright golden eyes peered curiously at her as its head emerged from under the hoodie.

"Aww…" she cooed going to her knees, one pale hand cupping it's chin as the other scratched it's damp head. "So that's what you were doing. You were helping this cat…" Her blue eyes glanced up as Matsuoka looked to the side with a glower.

"It's no big deal…" he muttered.

"I didn't know you were an animal person Matsuoka-senpai…aww…." She felt the cat began to purr as she gave a giggle. "It's too bad we can't keep pets in the dorms. I would love to have this little guy here…you'd want to come with us, wouldn't you?"

"I think it's a girl." Rin stated as he set the cat down on the floor. Ai gave a smile as she watched the cat brush itself against his legs giving a merry mew.

"Oh!" she dashed off back to where her grocery bag and began to rummage through with a fervor. Rin continued to pet the cat as Ai came back with a plastic box in her hands. "I was eating this on the way back…here…" she pulled out a stick with 3 tsukune balls pulling them off and setting them in front of the cat. The cat gingerly sniffed it before it took a bite and Ai gave a broad smile watching the cat eat.

"Do you have a name?" she asked standing up and looking at Rin who gave a shrug.

"I don't know…Onyx?"

"I thought you said it was a girl." Ai questioned.

"You got any better ideas?" Rin asked.

"Ah…" Ai put a hand to her mouth, her eye brows knitted in thought before they became bright again. "Amaya!" she proclaimed as she stared at Rin with a proud grin.

"Amaya?" he repeated.

"Well…." The smile fell from Ai's face as she glanced back down at the cat. "She's black like the night and we found her in the rain. It seems perfect." Rin gazed at her blue eyes almost sparkling and he sighed before he stared back down at the cat.

"I guess it's good." He reluctantly agreed.

"Aww Amaya…don't worry we'll take care of you!" Ai replied giving the cat a final pat, her smile growing as the cat gave an agreeing meow before she resumed eating. "Think she'll stick around?"

"If we keep feeding her…yeah…" Rin replied grabbing his hoodie from the floor as he slipped it on before he glanced outside giving a groan as he saw the rain that was continuing to batter down. "It's still freaking raining?" he muttered.

"Well walk with me! I have an umbrella!" Ai announced as she headed back down the hallway. She grabbed her groceries slinging the bag over her arm before she proudly held up the yellow umbrella. "I heard it was going to rain, so I brought this with me before I went food shopping."

"It's fine I'll wait out here…" Rin replied as he leaned against the wall, his hands stuffed in his sweat pockets.

"Matsuoka-senpai…"

"Nitori it's fine."

"No it's not." Rin eyes widened at her sudden defiance, her blue eyes steely as she stood in the building entrance. "It's either wait out here, miss dinner or run and catch a cold or walk with me!" She opened the umbrella looking over to Rin. "So it is your choice, but I know beside being an apparent animal lover you're smart so…" she tilted her head in anticipation of his answer.

Rin shook his head before he begrudgingly walked under umbrella. He watched Nitori give that beaming smile as she raised her arm to allow his head to clear under.

"Here…" he grabbed the umbrella from her grasp, holding it over the both. "Looks like you got enough to carry."

"Thank you Senpai." She replied cheerfully. They walked in the rain, the only sound was their steps and the patter of rain beating against the earth and Ai's umbrella. Ai glanced up at Rin giving a soft smile and gave an inward giggle which Rin heard. He stared down at her with an arched brow.

"What?"

"It's just funny. I didn't picture you to be the type to save a cat from the rain. It's really sweet Matsuoka-senpai."

"You're not going to tell anyone, right?" Rin asked imagining the rest of the team harping on him for being a softie. Ai let out another giggle as her smile widened. "You better not!"

"No, she's our secret!" She replied with a wink while she held a finger up to her lips. "Oh! You know what I think they're serving mackerel at dinner! We should save her some. And next time I go food shopping I'll pick her some treats….or cat food it might be lighter on the stomach then her eating leftovers from the…."

Rin continued to listen to her prattle on before she suddenly stopped with a jolt as a sudden thunder rumbled with a deafening roar followed by a harsh crack of thunder. Ai jumped with a startled cry her body colliding into Rin's curling up. He felt Ai's hand clench around his wrist as she jumped again with another lighting crackle, her blue eyes frightful and wide. They stopped for a moment before Ai's eyes glanced up, meeting Rin's briefly before a deep blush flooded her cheeks. She re jumped to the side, her body in the rain as she gave an apologetic bow. "Sorry Matsuoka-senpai."

"It's fine just get back under the umbrella." Rin stated deadpan before she quickly scrambled under.

"Sorry…the thunder and lightning always catch me off guard." She stated bashfully, the blush still tinting her cheeks. "I'm kind of glad I bumped into you Senpai."

Rin didn't say anything as he continued walking and Ai sighed as she wrapped her cardigan tighter around herself.

'Way to embarrass yourself Ai." She scolded herself as they came to the dorm building, standing under the doorway entrance.

"Here." Rin said handing her the umbrella once he shook the residual rain off. "And I'm glad you bumped into me too. Would have sucked walking through this…" he murmured before walked off leaving Ai with her groceries and the umbrella in hand.

"No…no problem." Ai softly answered.

* * *

_So not only is he studious and cool looking. He's also really nice….to animals…and sometimes me. Another thing I learned about him happened while the whole team was shopping for swimsuits._

* * *

Ai's blue eyes scanned the various forms of lyra, nylon and spandex that were in every color and pattern conceivable. Her mouth pursed in thought as she picked up a hanger with a red swimsuit dangling from the plastic.

'This is why I don't like shopping. Too many options…so many colors…maybe I should go for a more neutral…or maybe a fun print!' Ai picked up one with a purple base jagged blue lines running across the body.

"Hey Ai how about this one?" She glanced over to see Kazumi further down the aisle as he held up a black and blue bikini with a smirk.

"I think that would look great on you!" Ai replied with a bright smile. "It would really bring out your eyes."

Shouta and Takuya chuckled as Ai headed over to the next aisle her eyes skimming over the fabrics in hopes she would find something. 'Maybe I should get one with the attached shorts…but I've been wearing the classic swimsuit cut for awhile….'

Her eyes fell on Rin as he picked up a set of jammers that matched the print of his current ones, red lines over a black base.

"Oh that's a good brand." Ai commented.

Rin just gave a small murmur of acknowledgement before he slung it over his shoulder.

"Although…" Ai shuffled down the aisle picking up a pair of jammers in a similar style. "I think this brand might be better. It got great reviews and it apparently lasts awhile too."

Rin shrugged as he threw that one over his shoulder too. "You find anything?" he asked.

Ai shook her head, her hair whipping about. "I'm still trying to settle on the cut of the swimsuit. I like the classic cut I wear now, but maybe a longer leg length would be better."

"Just stick with the classic cut." Rin replied. "It's what you're use to right?"

"Ah…right." Ai answered giving a smile before she continued shuffling through the swimsuits. 'Maybe the Samezuka colors?' she thought picking up black swimsuit with a pink triangular pattern running along the sides. She held it up against her frame her mind trying to picture how it would look on her body.

'Too flashy!' she thought with a grimace putting it back. 'Maybe I should just stick with the yellow and purple…grandpa always did like those colors.'

She grabbed a few bathing suits before she headed to the fitting rooms before she gave a small groan seeing bare feet behind every curtain. 'They're all occupied…Maybe I should check the goggles…' She stopped seeing familiar red hair walking alongside a head of blackish navy hair.

'That's Matsuoka-senpai with Nanase-san.' She thought worriedly, peeking around a shelf as she trailed them. She noticed the tense silence between them as she continued to follow ducking behind racks and displays.

'Are they going to fight?' she thought worriedly as they came exited the store and soon the mall before coming outside. She scrambled seeing herself in the open before she tucked herself behind a trash can. She glanced out and gave a sigh of relief as the two stayed an arm apart from each other.

Rin leaned against the chain link fence while Haru gazed at his former friend with his unemotional gaze. The silence still lingered growing more tense as the only sound was the wind rustling of the leaves on the tree overhead and the occasional chirp of a bird. Finally, Rin turned his gaze over to Haru.

"What have you done with yourself the last three years?" Rin questioned. "You're better than this, man."

"It's hard to train with someone who trained in the outback." Haru tersely answered.

"Are you trying to mock me?" Rin snapped back angrily.

'Maybe they will fight…' Ai thought nervously as the confrontation continued.

"Stop lying!" She heard Rin angrily snap. "I know you want a real race as much as I do." Ai's mouth dropped open slightly as she saw a sadness overcome Rin as he glanced down adding softly "I need this…otherwise I can't move on." She realized this was the most vulnerable that she had seen him while he was conscious. The rawest emotion she had seen other than anger or indifference.

She saw Haru glance to the side before he gave an unmoved sigh. "What a pain." He muttered before he began to walk off. "I only swim free and I'm not changing that for you." He declared.

The vulnerability that Rin had completely dissipated before it was replaced by fury and a scowl. He rose, rushing over to Haru before he snatched his shoulder and slammed him against the fence. Ai popped up from the trash can as she watched the two glower at each other, a worry coming over that the verbal confrontation would soon become physical.

"You're going to swim for me whether you like it or not…" Rin stated unwaveringly.

She felt a blush come to her cheeks as she watched the two continue to stare at each other, with Rin's arms boxing Haru against the fence.

'Is it weird that I think this is like the comic I took from…' she quickly shook herself of that thought realizing the seriousness of her situation. 'Stop it AI!' she scolded herself.

Rin continued to have a determined and steadfast stare as a flicker of astonishment came over Haru before it was replaced with a face that mirrored Rin's. He clenched Rin forearms in his hand breaking out of his hold as he stepped forward.

"In that case I want you to promise me something. If you lose don't say you're going to quit. Don't embarrass yourself. Don't cry if you lose."

A look of shock overcame Rin's face before it was quickly replaced with an antagonistic frown. "Yeah like I'm some little kid." Rin barked as he snapped his arm out of Haru's hold. "I'll show you how different we are. It'll be completely clear."

For a moment the two exchanged a look. Ai noticed that the tension earlier was gone, now replaced with contentious understanding. She saw Rin turn and she clambered rushing from behind the trash can to run back inside. She didn't even look back to see if Rin had caught sight of her, she just kept sprinting back to the sports store and finally she stopped leaning against a display as she tried to catch her breaths as it came out in ragged wheezes.

"Ai…" her blue eyes widened seeing Rin come around the corner, hands in his pockets as he gave her a confused stare. "Why are you over here?"

"Same as you…shopping with the team." She panted.

Rin eyebrow arched as he glanced at Ai whose cheeks were flushed and her breath coming out ragged.

"This is the bikini section for beach volley ball." Rin stated.

Ai turned to the display she had been leaning against and her cheeks flushed even more noticing that risqué nylon forms that barely covered the female anatomy. "Ah…um…um…just thinking about trying something new. For the trip coming up…"

"Why would you need a bikini?"

"You're right Matsuoka-senpai! I don't! I forgot with my skin I burn really badly and I would look awful in a bikini anyway…" She stated with a shrug and a smile.

"You wouldn't look totally awful." Rin replied. "But you don't need a bikini."

'Was…was that a compliment?' Ai thought as they headed back to the more athletic swimwear.

"Hey guys hurry up and make your choices." Seijirou declared as he held up a shopping bag. "We need to wrap this up!"

"So did the jammers fit?" Ai questioned as she hurriedly grabbed some purple and yellow swimsuits.

"Yeah…." Rin replied as he grabbed the pair. Ai noticed it was the brand she had suggested and she gave a cheerful smile.

"What are you smiling at?" Rin questioned.

"Oh um…nothing I'm…I'm going to try these on." Ai replied holding her choices up. She darted behind the curtain before she fumbled with her undressing. As she tried on a swimsuit, her mind was miles away to the scene she had just witnessed a feeling of uneasiness coming over her.

_It's hard to believe at any point Matsuoka-senpai would ever stop swimming. Why would Matsuoka-senpai ever quit with how incredible he is? I don't know exactly what happened between him and Nanase, but I want Rin to find what will make him happy. I know that's racing against Nanase again but that worries me. I don't know what will happen if Nanase manages to beat him as impossible as that sounds. Will Matsuoka-senpai quit swimming altogether?_

Ai glanced worriedly at her diary before she shut it close.

'Don't think that Ai!' she chided herself. She turned her stare over at Rin who was doing sit ups again.

'I need this…otherwise I can't move on.' His gentle distressing tone from earlier echoed in her head.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Rin asked annoyed while he stopped mid sit up.

"Ah…no…nothing." Ai replied as she forced a smile on her face. "Do you want me to hold your feet down?"

"Sure." He replied with a shurg.

"Ok." Ai stated coming onto his bunk. She grasped his ankles over his sweat pants and he began his sit ups once more.

"Were you working on a regiment?" Rin asked.

"Ah…ye…yes." Ai lied as she glanced down forcing herself to stare at his feet.

"Want me to look at it?" Rin questioned nonchalantly.

"You would?!" Ai asked excitedly letting go of his feet. That caused Rin's legs to buck up almost hitting her in the face. He leaned back on his hands glaring at Ai who put her hands over her mouth.

"So…sorry Senpai." She stated with a small bow of her head. "But you would look at my regiment?"

"Don't make a big deal of it." He rumbled. "Are you going to hold my feet down or not?"

"Right…right sorry…" She replied.

She watched as he continued to do sit ups; her mind going back to Nanase and Rin.

'Someone with as much talent as you shouldn't quit.' She thought determinedly, her hands grasping tighter around his ankles. 'And I'll try to help you as much as I can.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's a shorter chapter but wanted to put out something before the new year. Hope you all enjoyed and til next time.


	5. Chapter 5: Shark Island Adventure Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ai reveals something about being the only girl at Samezuka and the boys of the academy head to the islands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one turned a bit long so I broke it into two parts. Hope you enjoy.

_I realize I'm getting used to having Ai as a roommate. Her desk is still irritatingly messy, and her flowery smelling crap gets everywhere, but I realize it's like living with an annoying fairy tale princess almost. She is always smiling. She's always happy. She hums while she folds laundry. She sings in the shower. Animals like her since Amaya warmed right up to her. I still would have preferred to share a room with a guy. But most of the guys here think I won some freaking lottery by having Ai as a roommate._

* * *

"Seriously Matsuoka? You haven't tried anything." Another second year asked from across a cafeteria table.

"Why would I?" Rin muttered as he poked at his rice on the tray.

"Well she's a girl. I mean she's not a neck turner but…"

"But what?" he snapped, irritated at the topic of conversation.

"Are…are you gay?" the third year asked softly. Rin threw the harshest glare that he could muster from his eyes and a scowl. "It…It's cool if you are…" the third year stammered holding his hands up with an assuring smile.

The glare only got deeper, the scowl wider as Rin's chopsticks snapped in his grip. The third years face blanched seeing Rin's sharpened teeth and he gave a cough abruptly standing up.

"I…I realized I'm not hungry." He stammered before he scurried off tray clenched in hand. Rin rolled his eyes as he stood up grabbing another pair of chop sticks and he sat down pouring over his food. It was quiet before in his gaze he caught sight of another tray across his. He looked up seeing Ai's smiling face as she sat down.

"Mind if I join you Matsuoka-senpai?"

"Do whatever you want." Rin answered as Ai picked up her chop sticks before she popped a piece of picked cucumber in her mouth. He noticed her blue eyes darting across an open book to her left.

"Studying even more?" Rin asked wearily. He learned over the weeks if Ai wasn't at swim practice, working out or doing chores she was studying for a class.

"Oh. it's something my brother sent over to help me with history. I find it a bit boring to try to keep all those dates in my head, so he suggested this." She held up the book with a grin which featured a Meiji era illustration on the cover. "It really livens things up with the illustrations!"

"Ai-chan…" Both of the swimmers turned their head to see a black haired lanky tween with blue eyes that were masked by thick glasses as he gave a small bow of his head. "I'm…I'm sorry to interrupt."

"Oh Ichibei-san." she put the book down, a soft smile falling across her face. "Hi, what's going on?"

"I was just wondering." He scratched the back of his head, a blush tinting his cheeks as he nervously looked to Ai and "Did…did you think about what I asked…"

"Yes…I…I just don't think it would be a…a good idea. But thank you."

"Oh …" the smile fell from his face as he turned around. "Okay thanks." He delicately mumbled before he walked off and the smile fell from AI's face. She gave a sigh before she turned her gaze back to her book.

Rin blinked a few times as he watched Ai's blue eyes pore over her book while she popped some food in her mouth, before she turned a page. When he realized she wasn't going to acknowledge the previous encounter he gave a roll of his eyes and asked, "Who the heck was that?"

"That's Sando Ichibei." She answered without lifting her head. "He's a second year like me and we have algebra together."

"So, what was that about?"

"He…he wanted to go out." Ai finally lifted her gaze to Rin a blush tinting her cheeks. "But…I just don't think it be a good idea. Between school, studying and swim club I barely have any free time. And plus…" she trailed off, her chopsticks idly pushing her noodles around.

"Plus what?" Rin asked.

"Ah…nothing." She replied as she picked up another piece of picked cucumber before popping it in her mouth.

* * *

_What's weird is I've seen her get asked out a few more times and she will always say no._

"Oh, is Ai here?" Rin looked up from his desk at the tall red haired teen in his room doorway who had a confident smirk on his face and playful green eyes.

"Does it look like she's here?" Rin retorted going back to his text book.

"Oh well can you tell her I dropped by?" He asked shoving his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the side of the door way's railing. "Can you just tell her Jin stopped by?. She'll know who it is."

"I'm not her secretary." Rin stated irritatingly as he turned a page.

Jin confident face turned into a harsh glare and he opened his mouth before a soft voice caused him to turn around.

"Jin-senpai." Both guys glanced over seeing Ai with a pile of library books in her hands coming from the hallway.

"Ai-chan! Do you need help?" Jin asked reaching over to grasp her pile.

"No…no it's fine!" She hastily answered, balancing the book bundle on her hip. "What brings you over here Jin-san?"

"Oh I was wondering if you thought about the…." His eyes darted briefly over to Rin before they turned back on Ai as he leaned in the doorway in a casual demeanor. "The question I asked." He finished smoothly with a smirk.

"Oh!" Ai jumped a bit as the books at her side jostled before she hastily recovered them with a renewed grip to her chest. "That's um…that's nice of you, but um…I just don't think it would be…I have so much on my plate right now and…"

"Letting me down easy huh?" Jin asked cheerfully with a shrug and a smile.

"Ye…yes…" Ai stated coming to her desk to drop the books off. "I'm sorry I have so much to focus on, but thank you."

"Okay." He stated before he began walking off. "But I may ask again…I'm just stubborn like that." He called over his shoulder with a smirk.

Ai sighed as she sat at her desk and began thumbing through the books.

"Another offer for a date?" Rin inquired.

"Ah…yes…" Ai answered before she opened her notepad. "We have history together and were paired for an in-class assignment. He asked me, but I just…well you know."

"You get asked out a lot." Rin surmised going back to his own work.

"Oh…do I?" Ai asked with a shrug of her shoulders. "I didn't notice…"

"Well…yeah…so why do you always say no?" Rin mumbled the last part more to himself.

"What?"

Rin blinked a few times realizing he said that louder than he intended. He turned his gaze to see Ai looking expectantly at him.

"Why do you always no? You really can't see yourself dating anybody here?"

"Ah…oh…um…" Rin watched her fidget a bit as her hand thrummed against the pages briefly before she turned her stare back toward Rin. "What food can't you stand Matsuoka-Senpai?"

"What?" Rin was bewildered by the sudden shift in conversation.

"I don't like mackerel." Ai answered. Rin almost let out a snort at the realization that Ai hated the one food Haru had managed to sustain himself on.

"Why?"

"Ah well I had a very unwell reaction after eating some onetime. I know the fish was bad and it probably wouldn't happen every time, but I still can't stand the taste of it."

"I don't like amanatto." Rin replied exasperated. "But what does that have to do with you saying no to every guy who asks you out?"

"If you were on a deserted Island with nothing to eat, but amanatto would you eat it?"

Rin sighed as he propped his head up on his arm deciding to just go with her current direction of conversation. "I…I guess…"

"I know I'm the only girl here and I wonder if I'm just their amanatto or their mackerel on this island….would they still ask me out if I went to a different school or if we met on the street?"

Rin saw the forlorn look in her eyes as she turned back to her books. "I…I just don't think it be a good idea…to date anyone here. Plus, I do have a lot going on. I have to start this report and I told the captain I would help organize the trip schedule." he noticed the merry smile back on her face as she grabbed a book. "I'm actually really excited about going to this swimming facility on the islands."

"Right the trip…" Rin groaned.

_At least we won't have to share a room during the trip. Although…_

* * *

"I don't get why we have to take this trip anyway." Rin muttered as he zipped up his duffel bag. "We have a pool right here."

"It should be fun." Ai responded in her usual bright nature from the closet. "I hear this pool is huge! And the hotel we're staying at has some hot springs which are said to have some healing powers." Her head popped from the closet doors with an excited smile. "Plus, the island has a series of mascots that have a really cool background story. Suzumi…"

"Maybe instead of talking you should finish packing…" Rin added.

"Oh…right!" Ai came out of the closet to her drawers and began to rummage through. "I know it's in here somewhere…" he heard her murmur.

Rin watched with an impartial stare from his bunk the girl scramble from drawer to drawer. His packing had occurred in fifteen minutes. For Ai it was going on an hour as she packed before she had wondered if she had forgotten something, unpacked her bag and then shoved it back in a messy pile. It boggled Rin's mind that she could compile a schedule to the minute and meticulously organize swim times, regiments and schedules, but her packing much like her desk was an erratic mess.

"You know most people fold." Rin commented as he watched Ai haphazardly throw clothes into her duffle bag once more realizing she had forgotten her tooth brush.

"Why? It's only for a few days." She replied merrily before she opened a drawer began to rifle through. "What else do you think I need Matsuoka-senpai?"

"Just enough clothes and your swimsuit. That's what I'm taking." Rin stated as he dropped his duffel bag by the door. "So, hurry up and pack because we're leaving early. I take it like you me you want to get some sleep."

"Oh I guess your right…" Ai replied nervously as she shut the drawer again before she searched through her duffel bag once more. "I think I have everything…Oh snacks!" she added excitedly going over to the fridge. "We should bring snacks to eat in the room in case we get hungry."

"We aren't sharing a room at the hotel." Rin muttered as he settled into his bed, rolling himself into the blankets. "Remember?"

"Oh…oh yeah." Ai murmured as she remembered when Sugimoto came bursting into their room earlier that week, his stern brown eyes scanning their beds to see if any indiscretions had taken place before stating that they would be in separate hotel rooms during this trip.

"I'm going to pack some protein bars. Do you want some?"

"I'm fine…let's just get some sleep." He answered as he tried to block out the sounds of her packing.

Ai give a small sigh as she piled some snacks in a separate bag before she dropped it by the door. "Alright. Night Matsuoka Senpai."

He heard her feet climb up the ladder before she settled under her covers. Rin gave a sigh of relief hearing her soft breathing above before he tucked himself deeper into the blankets finding his own slumber.

The alarm rang and Rin gave a groan seeing the ungodly hour as he reached over and shut it off. He stood up and stumbled to the bathroom to change. As he grabbed his cell phone and duffel bag on the way to the door, he gave a groan realizing that Ai was still asleep. He went over to her bed seeing her curled up in her comforter, the seal tucked in her arms.

"NItori." He gave her shoulder a slight shake. "Nitori!" he gave another forceful shake and watched as her blue eyes drowsily opened.

"Matsuoka-senpai…" she murmured sleepily. "What's going on?"

"The trip…"

"What trip?" she sluggishly responded.

"The trip to the stupid islands!" Ai sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Is…islands?"

"Just get up!" he said as Ai nodded clumsily came down the ladder steps, falling on her butt on the last one. Rin rolled his eyes as he watched her stumble grabbing some clothes and a jacket before she tripped into the bathroom.

"Hey!" The captain barged into the room a backpack slung over his shoulder and a bright grin on his face. "Up and at em'. We got a bus to get on!" he declared excitedly as his gold eyes glanced around the room before they stopped on Rin. "Hey, where's Ai?"

'He's even annoying this early.' Rin thought with a cross stare as he pointed to the bathroom door.

"Ready…." A sleepy voice murmured before Ai out of the bathroom. Her hoodie was askew, and her hair scrunched up to one side.

"Nitori! Come on! We got a ferry to get on." Seijirou proclaimed as he exited the room. She gave a few sluggish nods as she stumbled after the captain.

"Are you forgetting something?" Rin questioned sarcastically.

Ai yawned as she shook her head.

"Your bag…" Rin stated.

"Wha…?" her blue eyes drowsily glanced up at him.

"Where's your bag?" Ai blinked a few times before she stumbled and grabbed her duffel bag as she rubbed her eyes.

"You're not a morning person are you?" Rin asked.

Ai blinked a few times as she shook her head before she grabbed her pillow tucking it under her arm. "Not this early." She murmured as she stumbled along the hallways. The other swimmers looked like zombies as they faltered through the dorm towards the bus that took them to the ferry

Rin watched Ai toss her duffel bag onto the luggage compartment and stagger onto the bus. He waited in line before shoving his bag and stopped noticing two huddled second years near a duffel bag that looked like Ai's.

"What are you doing?" he questioned.

The two jumped turning as Rin saw it was Ai's duffel bag and a fabric clenched in a fist.

"Ah…nothing Matsuoka." One answered with wide frightful eyes.

Rin scowled before he snatched the scrunched fabric in his hands, his eyes narrowing as he unfurled it.

"A bikini?" he asked annoyed.

"Come on Matsuoka! You don't want to see Ai in a bikini?"

"Probably because he gets to see all sorts of stuff." The other one muttered bitterly.

"Grow up!" he snarled.

"What's going on here?" The captain asked coming to the huddle his gold eyes narrowed.

"No…nothing Captain." One answered.

"Yeah nothing." The other affirmed.

"Matsuoka." Seijirou asked glancing over at him.

Rin slipped the bikini in his own bag as he threw a glare to his teammates. "Nothing." He shoved his bag under the space, before he snatched Ai's bag and shoved it under as well glowering at the two swimmers who hastily clamored on board before Rin boarded the bus with a sigh.

* * *

The sun was beating down on the oceanic waters that rocked and rolled against the ferry. The boys of Samezuka swim team chatted animatedly between each other as some sat in their seats while others leaned against the guard rails of the ferry peering over the waters.

Rin sat in a seat as he listened to his music while the boat bobbed along the waves with his eyes closed. He opened one eye feeling a rap against his shoulder. He tugged an ear bud out before he gave an annoyed glare towards Toru. "What's up?"

"Hey Matsuoka where's Ai?" Toru asked.

"What?"

"Where's Ai?" Toru repeated. "She's been gone for awhile."

"Hell if I know." He muttered, leaning back letting his head rest against the boat's wall.

He remembered Ai sitting near him as they left port. Her blue eyes seeming restless as she had brought her arms over her stomach almost hugging herself. During a particularly rocky part over a wave she had rapidly stood up and darted off. Rin watched her scurry off before he shut his eyes again.

He listened to a few more songs before he realized she hadn't yet returned. His eyes scanned around trying to find her mop of gray lavender hair and pale skin.

He sighed as he stood up giving a roll of his shoulders before he whipped his ear bud offs and began to wander among the ferry.

'It's a boat. She couldn't have gone far…' He stopped feeling the boat gently rock and his burgundy eyes widened slightly. 'She's not that careless would she…'

His mind shifted over to the rails, picturing Ai leaning over the metal bars, her blue eyes wide as she saw a seagull or something asinine like that. She would lean further over to get a better look and then during a bump. His eyes widened further as he glanced at the waters trying to spot her pale arms or lavender hair peeking from the water. As he sprinted along the metal railing, he stopped hearing a strangled gurgle from behind a door. He pressed his ear to wood and heard another gargle and a strained moan before he rapped, his fist against the wood. "NItori?" he asked.

"Don't come in!" her voice that sounded choking called out before it was followed by another strangled gag.

Rin jiggled the bathroom door handle and opened it to see Ai hunched over, one hand over her mouth as some tears had streaked down her face.

"You okay?" he asked concerned.

Ai head bobbed up and down a few times as she gave another heave falling to her knees. "Please…just…" he saw her lurch again and he grimaced as her face fell into the toilet, a gag followed by a torrent of fluid hitting water. He cringed as he watched her hands fumble to push her hair back before they came on the toilet as another heave came. "Just leave…please." she managed to get out, her voice in an echo as her face remained in the toilet.

He pulled back her hair as she he saw her shoulders heave before another torrent of vomit hit the toilet water. He winced as he heard her choked gurgle and a groan.

"So unless your pregnant ….wait you're not right?" Ai's head furiously whipped around before it went back into the toilet and another groan echoed from the porcelain. "I take it you get boat sick."

"This…is…" her hand clamped over her mouth as her eyes widened and she was back to ejecting bile from her mouth. "It's been a long time since I've been on a boat." She managed to gasp out.

Rin rolled his eyes as she kept her hair back listening to her strangled breathing between vomits.

Rin listened to her heave and moan for a time before the regurgitation finally stopped.

She murmured turning her head to the side with a whimper.

"Just keep breathing…in through your nose out through your mouth." Rin offered as she gave a few terse nods. Eventually her breathing slowed and she gave a groan as she raised herself from the toilet.

"Um…th…thank you." She stammered before she reached over to grab some toilet paper to hastily wipe her mouth. "I…I think I'm okay."

"Do you always get boat sick." Ai blushed as she rose from the floor and began to wash her hands. "I…I haven't been on a boat in awhile, but I use to get sick on them when I was a younger. I thought maybe I outgrew it. I…I was wrong." She admitted bashfully. Ai dried her hands and turned to Rin the blush still on her cheeks. "Th…thank you. I'm sorry you had to see that."

"It's fine…" Rin mumbled before he exited the bathroom.

Ai sighed as moistened a paper towel before she wiped her face.

'I guess if anyone saw me like that I'm glad it's him.' She thought of the noises she made as she vomited and shook her head giving a whine. 'But still it's embarrassing!'

* * *

"Wow!" Ai exclaimed as she looked around the lobby of the resort. There was beautiful lighting that hung from the ceilings, cozy warm walls and immaculate windows that offered the view of the surrounding scene of the pristine beach. "This is so nice!"

"Yeah…" Toru stated his magenta eyes glancing around over his sunglasses. "Not bad at all."

"I want to check out these hot springs!" Kazuki added excitedly.

"Oh me too!" Ai replied with a few nods. "I know we'll have time in the evening with the schedule Seijirou planned."

"What exactly are we doing anyways?" Shouta questioned looking toward Ai. "Nothing too crazy? No working on endurance til we pass out or killing ourselves as we try to knock a second off our times?"

"Ah if I remember…" Ai started before Seijirou and Sugimoto walked back from the front desk causing the excited chattering of the swimmers in the lobby to silence.

"Alright guys you can head to your room and then in thirty minutes exactly I want you down to the pool because we're getting a jump start on practice!" Seijirou exclaimed eagerly.

"Okay here are the room assignments." Sugimoto announced as he read from a page. He called out name after name, passing out room keys to the swimmers as they hauled away their bags.

Eventually all that was left in the lobby was Rin and Ai as Sugimoto stopped his brows furrowing together. He adjusted his glasses as he looked over the page again. "One moment."

"Oh, I am so sorry when we saw Rin Matsuoka we thought it was a girl too so Rin Matsuoka and Ai Nitori were placed together." The receptionist at the front desk answered as she typed on the computer.

"We'll pay for another room." Sugimoto stated.

"That's the only room we have available." The receptionist replied apologetically. "We're so sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused."

Sugimoto sighed reluctantly before he turned to the teens, his eyes resting on Ai. "Normally I would find a way to have your own separate room, but since I haven't seen anything to cause alarm between you two I can trust that it would be fine that you are sharing a hotel room."

"Of course, Sugimoto-sensei." Ai replied earnestly while Rin gave a curt nod.

"Fine…Room 310." He handed the room keys to the teens as he grabbed his own luggage.

"You feeling better?" Rin asked as they walked along the hallway before the stepped onto the elevator.

"Yes much!" Ai answered happily. "Honestly I'm excited about being here. It's a nice change of scenery." She opened the hotel room revealing the twin beds inside. "Although I'm sorry we still have to share a room."

"It's no big deal." Rin replied dropping his duffel bag on one of the beds. "I'm used to it." He added while he rummaged through his duffel bag and pulled out his swimsuit before he went to the bathroom.

'So he's use to me?' Ai thought as she pulled her own swimsuit from her luggage with a small smile. 'I…I guess that's a start.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come soon!


	6. Shark Island Adventure Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grueling practices, hot springs, beach volley ball and bruises

_**Sorry this took awhile. Life sucks when it gets in the way of things you really enjoy. Anyway hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.** _

* * *

"Time!" Ai proclaimed as she pressed the button the stopwatch. Chants were being yelled out as splashes echoed across the sports facility pool walls. Swimmers panted as they raised themselves from the pool to round about and lined up again for another time trial.

"Any better?" Seijirou questioned looking over her shoulder.

".003 seconds better." Ai offered as Seijirou gave a tsk taking the stopwatch from her. "Thanks Ai. You're up so get to the block."

She looped her goggles over her neck walking by Rin who glanced up with a scowl on his face.

"What are you staring off for Rin?" Ai asked concerned. His burgundy eyes lingered to the windows above that let in the natural sunlight and showed the scenic greenery of the island.

"I thought a caught a whiff of something." He answered with a discontented face.

"What do you think it was?" Ai prodded as she sniffed the air, but all her nostrils took in was the overwhelming scent of chlorine.

"It smelled like a boat load of mackerel." Rin glanced over to see Ai's nose scrunched up a bit at this statement before the captain interjected.

"Sounds like somebody has a hell of a sharp nose on them. Cuz we're having mackerel curry for dinner today. How does that sit with you fellas? Sound good?" he called out to the rest of the swimmers.

"Yes sir." Everyone called out Ai who had a grimace on her face as she came on the block, bringing the goggles over her eyes.

'Good thing I packed my protein bars.' She thought as the whistle blew and she launched herself from the block.

After dinner a few of the Samezuka swimmers decided to spend some time outside with a bonfire while the others retired to their rooms. "Aren't you hungry?" Rin as they walked along the hallways. He watched Ai pick idly around the mackerel curry to eat the few mouthfuls of rice served with it during dinner all the while with a cringe on her face.

"A bit but thankfully I have my snacks, so I'll just eat those. Hopefully tomorrow won't have mackerel anything." She opened the door to their room and came to her duffel bag rifling through it. Rin sat on the bed as he watched her fling her clothing to the side before she gave a whine.

"What's wrong?" he asked wearily.

"I forgot my snacks." Ai lamented as she sat on the bed. Rin heard the growl of her stomach as she covered her torso with her arms with an embarrassed blush. "Oh…" she rummaged through her clothes, the clothes before she pulled out her wallet with a smile. "I saw a store near here. I'll just pick something up there. Do you need anything?"

"I'll go with you." Rin muttered. "Nothing else to do really…"

"I think some of the team is hanging out by a bonfire." Ai offered. "And there's also the onsen."

"Pass." Rin replied as he grabbed his own wallet.

They walked in silence for a bit along the boardwalk as Ai glanced at the shore with a soft smile. "It's pretty isn't it. The sun set? There is just something so serene about it."

Rin glanced to the hazy orange setting that reflected on the ocean. "I guess."

"Are the beaches in Australia different?" Ai questioned curiously.

He thought of that feeling of loneliness that he had as he sat on the beach in Australia. Despite the picturesque setting his red eyes would scan over the ocean across wondering about the home he left in trying to catch his dream.

"Why do you want to want to know?" Rin asked defensively at the bad memory brought up.

"Oh…" Ai flinched upon hearing his harsh tone. "I'm sorry I was just wondering…" she murmured softly before a smile brightened on her face. "Ah here's the store!" Ai proclaimed before she wandered in and greeted the shopkeeper. She grabbed a small basket as she perused the items piling in bottled waters, electrolyte drinks, and protein bars. Rin glanced over a few items before he grabbed a soda and some chips.

"I think I'm ready." Ai replied as she dropped the basket onto the counter.

"Same." Rin stated noticing his smaller pile compared to Ai's. "Did you get enough?" he asked sarcastically.

"I think so." Ai answered unabashed by his cynicism. "At least enough to tide me over for the rest of the trip."

"Are you two from Samezuka?" The cashier asked with a smile as she began scanning the items.

"Yes." Ai nodded eagerly. "Here for training at the sports facility."

"Well hope you boys have a good time while you're here." The cashier answered. Rin glanced over at Ai as take a small breath with a forced smile before she gathered her bag. "Um…th…thank you."

As Rin came up to the register his eyes fell on a package of ginger candy displayed on the counter. He thought about when he held Ai's hair listening to her strangled vomiting on the ride over and he grimaced.

"Hey go ahead. I'll catch up." He called out over his shoulder to Ai.

"Are you sure?" she questioned.

"Yeah…" Rin replied before he grabbed the candies. "These help with sea sickness?" he asked the cashier.

"Oh yes that's why we stock them."

Rin dropped the candies next to his items. 'As long as it'll keep me from holding back her hair.' He thought.

Ai exited the door glancing down at her body donned in an oversized black shirt that sported the Samezuka shark on the back and her oversized gray sweats pants on her legs. 'Well if you dress like a boy…and from a boys academy…of course they're going to think you're a boy.'

She felt herself lightly bump into a body and she backed up giving a small bow of her head.

"I'm so sorry." A familiar voice exclaimed, and Ai looked up her blue eyes widening.

"Ai-chan?" Kou proclaimed, her burgundy eyes mirroring Ai's shock.

"Kou-chan?!" Ai replied. "Why are you here?"

"The Iwatobi team is training on the islands."

"But…but we're using the facility." Ai commented bewildered.

"We're training in the ocean."

"Everything okay?" Another voice entered in. Ai glanced over to see Rin walking out of the door. He jolted to a stop seeing his sister in front of his roommate.

"Hey big brother." Kou offered softly.

"Gou…" Rin stated with a frown before he looked toward Ai. "Nitori why don't you head back to the room?"

"Oh…okay…" She replied. "Bye Kou-chan!" Ai gave a small wave before she walked off.

'Chan.' Rin thought looking over to his sister. "She calls you Kou-chan?" he asked.

"I call her Ai-chan." Gou answered.

Rin blinked a few times as he stared at his sister. "Are you friends?"

"Yeah…we kind of are." She said with a small smile. "Aren't you friends with her?"

Rin glanced briefly over at Ai walking away, seeing her lavendair hair trail over the Samezuka shark on her back as she swung her bag in her hand. "She's my roommate and my teammate. That's it." He answered looking back at his sister. "So why are you here?"

* * *

Ai chewed a bit more on the protein bar as she flipped through the television channel with a bored expression. Her blue eyes traveled briefly to the clock and then back to the television screen.

'Matsuoka-senpai is taking awhile…I wonder if he went over to where Nanase and the others are?' Ai thought as she swallowed and continued flipping through channels. 'Would it be that easy for them to be friends again?' Her mind went back to the volatile encounter outside the mall and she raised herself on her arms while shaking her head. 'No it wouldn't be that simple.' She surmised.

'Hopefully he's catching up with Kou-chan….' Ai thought hopefully. 'In the mean time…maybe I should check out the onsen.'

* * *

Rin inserted his key card and opened the hotel room door to see an empty room. His burgundy brow arched up as he dropped his grocery bag on the night stand and looked to see Nitori's clothes askew near the duffel bag.

'Where the hell did she go off too…?' Rin thought as he opened the doorway to look in the hallway his maroon eyes glancing before he stopped himself. 'Wait why do I care?' he thought about to close the door but stopped hearing a familiar voice.

"We're not going to be able to see anything."

"You don't know that." Another responded. "We could manage to catch a glimpse through a notch in the wall or something. Might as well check it out."

Rin peeked his head out to see the two second years who tried to sneak a bikini into AI's bag heading down the hallway.

"You sure she going to the onsen?"

"Yeah I heard her tell the captain…so let's go."

'They're not going to be able to see anything…' Rin's more logical mind rang out as he shut the door. He sat on the bed reaching for the tv remote. He idly searched the channels, but he felt a twinge of irritation before he stood up giving a roll of his shoulders. 'Wouldn't hurt to check those hot springs out…'

'This is amazing!' Ai thought as she lowered herself into the waters. She gave a contented sigh as she relaxed into the warmth, her blue eyes hazy as she watched the steam from the water dance around her. She placed a towel over her forehead giving a happy murmur as she sank deeper, her hair swirling around her shoulders and her eyes drooping closed.

'Wish there was someone I could chat with…maybe tomorrow I can invite Kou-chan…' she thought as she gave another contented sigh letting the warmth relax her into a lulled peaceful state. She tranquilly listened to the waters flowing into the bath. As she felt her cheeks redden she sunk deeper giving a soft smile. 'I should get out soon I don't want to overheat…'

"Damn…guess it figures we can't see anything." Ai's eyes opened startled as she raised herself from the bath edge. 'Where did that…' her eyes wandered over to a wooden wall acting as a divider. 'I…I guess from there…but I don't recognize the voices.'

"Well might as well relax…to be honest it's not like we would have seen anything. She is really flat chested." Another voice echoed.

'Are…are they talking about me…' Ai thought glancing down to her own chest as she self-consciously covered herself with her arms.

"Still I mean she's not terrible looking. She doesn't have a rack but I still wouldn't mind having a go at her."

"Pissed that Matsuoka caught us trying to swap her swimsuit."

"You don't think they're…"

"Nah…I think she's a total prude. She's gotten asked by a few guys at the campus and she always says no."

"But not because her and Matsuoka…"

"As antisocial as Matsuoka is? Hell no I really doubt they're anything and no one hears anything in the room. By the way Ai acts I don't think she's even been kiss…"

Ai tilted her head as the voice trailed off.

"You guys need to shut the hell up." An angry voice broke out.

'That's Matsuoka-senpai.' Ai thought as she raised herself from the water and hurriedly wrapped a towel around her frame. She walked over to the wall pressing her ear against it.

"Oh Matsuoka how much of that did you hear?"

"All of it!" he snapped. "And if I hear you talking that way again I'll bash your heads in."

"Come on Matsuoka…we're not the only guys who think about Ai."

"Maybe but you're the only guys who try to pull stupid shit so I'll say it again. Try anything and I'll bash your faces in."

"Easy coming from the guy…"

The voice trailed off again as Ai pressed harder into the wall wondering why the pause in conversation happened.

"Hey guys checking out the onsen, it's pretty awesome huh?"

'That's the captain!' Ai thought.

"We…we were leaving." One of the second years stated.

"Ok. Get a good night rest got a heavy early morning practice tomorrow." Seijirou called out. That was followed by a boisterous splash.

"Come on Matsuoka! You just going to stand there all day…"

Ai heard a softer splash and waited to hear more but all she could hear was the happy humming of Seijirou.

She pulled away from the wall with a bright smile on her face as she headed toward the onsen exit.

Rin leaned his head back trying to ignore the happy humming of Seijrou while the waters warmed his muscles. That plan went to hell when he felt a loud smack at his shoulder disturbing the brief moment of peace he had. He opened his eyes glaring at the captain who was beaming at him with an irritatingly happy smile.

"You know Matsuoka didn't take you for the responsible type."

"What?" he asked shrugging him off. "What are you talking about?"

"Although I shouldn't be surprised you're a big brother to your little sister Gou-kun, so you must be experienced at looking after people." The captain continued with his rambling.

Rin scowled at the honorific coming from Seijirou's lips. "Captain. Can you not call other people's sisters by their first name?"

"Hm?" Seijirous smile fell as he gave Rin a concerned look. "Do I need your permission for that? Then I'm sorry! Matsuoka, please let me call Gou-kun by her first na–"

"I won't allow it!" Rin snapped rising from the water angrily.

Mikoshiba slapped Rin's back again. "Now, now! It's fine! Don't get so hung up by the details!"

"It's NOT fine, and it's NOT a detail!" Rin barked back. "And what the hell were you talking about me being responsible?"

"I heard you talking to Kagami and Himura but I didn't say anything because I was curious to see what you would do." He added as he leaned back draping a towel over his forehead. "I'm proud of you Matsuoka you're a lot more responsible than I give you credit for sticking up for your friend Nitori."

"We're not that close."

"But close enough to stick up for her right?" Lifting up the towel to reveal himself giving a cheeky wink to the younger swimmer. "Don't be embarrassed to admit it!" he declared happily giving Rin's back another hearty smack.

"I'm not embarrassed and that hurts." Rin replied sinking deeper into the water to take his shoulder out of smacking range.

"Don't worry I'll talk to those two about giving her more respect and not to pull anything. But in case they do I'm glad you're watching out for her." He covered his eyes again going back to relaxing

Rin was about to argue but he rolled his eyes sinking into the water with a scowl. 'Not worth trying to get through his thick head.' He thought as Seijirou went back to his happy humming.

* * *

Ai sipped the sports drink as she flipped through the channels while she snuggled under a blanket. She settled on a sappy romantic movie as she glanced outside hearing a rumble. 'I guess it might rain…'

Her eyes fell back to the screen seeing the protagonist with dreamy blue eyes cup the romantic heroine's face in his hands.

" _But I realize after all this time….after all this searching." The woman's green eyes widened as his face came closer to her. "That you are what I've been seeking…because with you. I'm finally home_."

Ai gave a starry-eyed sigh as she wrapped the blanket around herself tighter. Her mind thought about the conversation she overheard through the wall of the onsen.

'She acts like she hasn't been kissed yet…'

'I mean they weren't wrong…I haven't been kissed yet…' her fingertips came up to her lips as the music played while the couple continued to foster their love through their mouths. 'I wonder what it feels like...' she thought with a yawn. She capped her drink and laid down on her side, bringing the blanket over her.

She jumped hearing the door open and glanced over to see Rin walk in the room.

"Hi Matsuoka-senpai." She greeted with a soft smile.

"Hey…" he stated as she sat on the bed while he continued to wring out his hair.

"Did you like the hotsprings?"

"They were ok." Rin stated glancing over to the tv.

"I found it so relaxing. I almost fell asleep while I was in the waters."

"Speaking of sleep I'm going to. I want to run in the morning." Rin murmured. "So do you mind turning off that sappy romance movie…"

"Oh…okay…" Ai replied as she shut off the tv. "That's actually a good idea I didn't get much sleep the night before." She nestled into the bed rolling into the blankets as she lay on her side.

"Hey Nitori." Rin stated causing her to quickly roll around to face him.

"Yes Matsuoka-senpai." She asked blue eyes peering curiously at him.

"Are you friend with my sister?" he asked with an annoyed stare.

"I like to think so. We've talked on the phone and met up. She's very good at compiling swimming regiments and practices. I like comparing notes with her. She also worries about you…" Ai offered with a gentle smile. However Rin expression remained the same.

"You don't tell her anything do you…?"

"Just…just how you're doing." She murmured. Rin didn't give a reply as he took in a breath rolling over to face away from her.

"Matsuoka-senpai…"Ai asked.

"What Nitori?" he called not moving.

"Are…" she trailed off realizing what the answer might be. "Never mind."

"Night." He curtly responded.

* * *

_** The next day at the pool ** _

Ai's head popped from the water with a strangled gasp as she whipped her swim cap. "Keep moving!" The captain's boisterous yell echoed through the swim hall.

"Hanging in there?" Ai panted as she grasped Kazuki's arm and hauled herself out of the pool. "Yeah…but…" she wheezed a bit as she put a hand over her chest. "I may die."

"Well that's what we get for not being interested in the relay exchanges." He stated as he watched an incoming breast stroke swimmer smack the pools edge and the butterfly swimmer immediately launched off the block.

"Honestly I wish I could…" Ai murmured.

"What?" Kazuki asked tapping the water out of his ears.

"No…nothing." Ai answered with a shake of her head and a smile pushing Kazuki along the pool deck. "So, come on we got another round."

Kazuki groaned tilting his head back as they both came up to the line at the blocks. "You're way too cheery for knowing we are going to be so sore we want to die come tomorrow…"

"Ai-chan!" Ai stopped turning around to see familiar face and red hair. "Kou-chan!"

The red haired manager of Iwatobi came across the cheer deck with a bright smile and a pink digital camera hanging from her wrist.

"I came to visit!" She claimed ignoring the lingering stares of the swimmers around her as Ai walked over.

"Hey did I say stop?!" Seijirou yelled causing the swimmers to quickly scramble back to the lines at the starting blocks.

"Hey Gou-chan." The captain of Samezuka replied brightly. Ai noticed over her shoulder Rin heading over as well.

"It's Kou…" She replied with a small huff before putting a smirk on her face, her eyes going over to Rin. "Hey big brother."

"Gou why are you here?" Rin asked.

"I just wanted to sight see and catch up with Ai!" She replied merrily. "I hope you don't mind I decided to drop in."

"Nah!" Seijirou answered while Rin gave a 'tsk' going over to the pools edge. Ai watched as he snapped his on his swim cap, rolling his shoulders as his taut muscles flexed briefly before he crouched into starting position. Ai turned her gaze over to Kou who had the camera held to her face.

"Oh…" she brought it down with a bashful smile. "Do you mind if I take pictures?"

"No way. Go right ahead!" Seijirou proclaimed giving a smile and a thumbs up toward the camera. Kou took another picture before he turned his attention toward Ai. "Hey you tapping out already?"

"No sir!" Ai stated.

"Can I see you after practice Ai chan?" Kou asked before the girl scrambled over to the block.

"Su…sure." Ai replied before she walked back over to the line.

* * *

** Later on the beach **

"So how is the training for Iwatobi going?" Ai asked as the two girls had their feet at the beach edge, letting the waves lap at their toes.

"It's going good." Kou answered looking out to the ocean. "I think they may even get farther today even with the late start."

"So are you here scouting us out too?"

"Ah…you see right through me." Kou answered scratching her cheek with a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry I just wanted to see what exactly we were up against…."

Ai gave a relaxed shrug. "I don't mind and I don't think the captain will either. I'm pretty confident we'll win."

"I think we can give you a run for your money." Kou replied giving a giggle. "And you seem to be doing better too."

"Really?!" Ai asked excitedly.

Kou nodded. "Honestly the fact you can manage to keep up at these practices. I'm really excited to see how you're going to do during the female events."

"Thank you Kou-chan." Ai answered. The two girls sat in a comfortable calmness listening the ocean waves beat against the shores.

"Ai can I ask you a question?" Kou stated breaking the silence.

Ai looked over before she gave a few eager nods.

"Do you consider you and my brother as friends?"

"Ah..I…I don't know honestly." Ai answered leaning back on her hands giving a pensive stare towards the ocean. "He doesn't talk to me that much...whenever I try to make conversation…any conversation, but at the same time…" the softest of smiles fell across her lips as she looked toward the Iwatobi Manager. "I think he is a person who represents himself more with actions than with words." Ai thought of Rin helping her with her homework and standing up to her teammates in the onsen. "Even if he doesn't consider us friends he is a good senpai and I'm just happy to be his Kohai."

Kou had a bemused smile on her face as Ai gave a small laugh rubbing the back of her head. "Of course, I could be wrong!"

"I don't think you are." Kou replied merrily. "I think you are friends even if he won't admit it. My baka brother has never been honest with emotions."

"Kou-chan are we friends?" Ai asked able to ask herself the question she couldn't bring herself to ask Matsuoka-senpai.

"Of course!" She answered before she looped an arm over the Samezuka swimmers shoulder bringing her cheek to hers. "Smile."

Ai offered a bright grin closing her eyes as the flash from the digital camera went off.

"Hey…Ai you're going to be late." Seijirou exclaimed as he ran from behind the two teenage girls. "Oh hey Gou-chan."

"Kou…" The Iwatobi manager replied with a huff. "And late for what?"

"Our team bonding exercise! You can watch if you want."

"Thanks but I have to get back to my team." Gou replied dusting herself off from the sand. "Bye Ai-chan."

"Bye!" Ai responded with a wave. "And team bonding exercise…?"

"Yeah every year we have a team bonding exercise." Seijirou stated his gold eyes bright. "And it's captain's choice."

"Oh so…what did you choose?" she asked curiously.

* * *

"Alright guys so I chose for us this year is beach volleyball." He used one hand idly tossing the volley ball up and down upon a sand court that resided just outside the hotel. "And we're going roommates against roommates So. Who wants to go first?" he asked glowering over the tips of his sunglasses with a broad challenging smirk.

"You any good at this?" Rin glanced at Ai beside him as they were sitting in the sand on the sidelines with the rest of the swimmers. Ai was donned in a shirt and board shorts with a blue baseball cap on her head while Rin was dressed in shorts and a tank top. She adjusted the blue baseball cap on her head as her shoulders gave a shrug.

"I played a bit back in grade school and some in middle school." Ai replied as she glanced up at her Senpai. "You?"

Rin shrugged. "Here and there…honestly…this seems like a waste of time."

"It's team bonding activity. Plus Mikoshiba Senpai seems really excited."

"Let's do this!" Mikoshiba declared taking off his shirt revealing his toned abs, tossing it to the side.

"He does have good musculature." Ai commented.

"You in love with him or something?" Rin asked.

"Ah…no…no…just admiring his tone. You have amazing musculature too Matusoka-senpai."

They watched as Seijirou and his roommate, played a set with the first years quickly dominating them. As the bracket were narrowed, Ai and Rin waited watching the spikes, drills and sets till finally…

"Okay who's next?" Seijirou asked as he looked at the bracket with a smirk. "Nitori and Matsuoka against Shouta and Kazuki." He called out tossing the ball over to the two. Ai picked it up and stood as she turned the brim of her baseball cap with a determined face. "Hai!"

"Fine…" Rin grumbled standing up and dusting himself off. "You know how to serve?"

"It's been awhile." Ai stated as she awkwardly tossed the ball. He gave a dead span stare as she fumbled it after a few bounces before she hastily picked it up clutching it to her chest. "But I think I can get it…"

"Comn on…." He muttered taking spot in front of the net.

"This should be good." He heard someone muttered. "Hey Ai it's shirts versus skin. So, show some skin." Another swimmer hollered.

"We're shirts so shut up!" Rin snapped.

"Easy Matsuoka." Seijirou called out. "Keep the shirt on Nitori. No offense with as pale as you are you would burst into flames.

"I would." Ai responded with a few bashful nods. "Ready?" she asked looking towards Rin.

"Fine…"

Ai lobbed the ball up and gave it a hearty smack. It arched slowly above the two second years head. "Got it." Kazuki called lobbing it back over. Rin watched the ball come at the edge of the net and he jumped up.

"I'll bl…" That was all Shouta got out as Rin slammed the ball down with all the force he could put behind it and Shouta eyes practically popped out of his head as he jumped out of the way.

"You said you got it!" Kazuki yelled.

"There was fire coming off at the ball!" Shouta replied angrily picking the ball up looking to his teammates. "Switch positions."

"No…I like the way my face looks." Kazuki offered back causing Shouta to roll his eyes.

"Senpai that was amazing." Ai stated as Rin shrugged taking post at the net again.

"I just want to get this over with." Rin muttered while Shouta passed him the ball and he tossed it over his shoulder to Ai. "Serve again…"

Ai managed to smack the ball up and Rin again gave a spike. Kazuki managed to block as Shouta set the ball. Rin felt it whizz by his head and he looked back to see Ai dive in the sand, managing to smack the ball up.

"Go senpai!" She replied excitedly and Rin slammed it down scoring another point

"Point shirts!"

'I guess his competitive nature isn't just reserved to swimming…' she thought as Rin wiped the sweat from his brow, a slight smirk on his face as he watched Shouta and Kazumi argue about whose fault the latest loss of point was.

The rest of the game went by quickly as the next few games. Ai would serve and offer support managing to save the longer arced balls toward the back of the court with Rin taking point at the net spiking and slamming down the ball to score points.

"We're doing good senpai!" Ai declared as she brought over a water. They sat on the side lines waiting for the next round of games to finish. "You're amazing at this!"

"Thanks." Rin responded as she sat next time. He surveyed her as she put on another slathering of sun block with a grimace as it mixed with a light coating of sand. "You're not too bad either. Who knows we may win this whole stupid thing.

Ai beamed as she took a sip of water watching as Seijirou spiked the ball down into the sand. "Alright and that's our point."

"Last game Nitori and Matsuoka versus the captain and Mitobe."

"Alright championship game!" Seijirou declared. "And winner gets bragging rights! So Nitori! Matsuoka bring it!" He tossed the ball behind him to his roommate as Ai jumped a few times clapping her hands as she came onto the court.

"Ready Matsuoka-senpai?" She asked as Rin gave a nod.

"Let's go."

The captain's roommate served the ball with a loud smack as it lobbed up with surprising force. Rin managed to block, but Seijiriou reacted quickly slamming the ball back over the net between Rin's arms. Ai saved it, diving it in the sand and rebounding it up before Rin set it aiming for the end of the court. The ball grazed Seijiros hand but hit the sand and he was unable to salvage the point.

"Yay." Ai murmured as she waved her hands in front of her body rapidly with a wince. Rin looked over almost letting out a snort of laughter at the light layer of sand mixed with her sunscreen coating her skin. "The captain's returns hurt."

"You aren't quitting on me are you?" Rin asked after Seijriou passed him the ball.

"No. Let's win this." Ai replied determinedly putting up a fist with a bright grin. Rin rolled his eyes at her excitement over winning a dumb game, but gave her a feeble bump as they both turned back to the court.

"Serve." Ai nodded as she served the ball with an arch. Mitobe managed to hit it up, Seijirou leaped up prepared to spike it while Rin followed jumping up as well, his arms up in preparation to block it. He cursed as it managed to whizz past his arms and flew by his head. He managed to glimpse back seeing Ai try to block, but fail and the ball collided harshly with her face with enough force that her hat came off.

"Ow…" Her hands flew over the bottom half of her face covering her nose as she was still kneeling in the sand.

"You ok."

"Mmmhhmmm…" came the muffled response from beneath her hands as Seijirou came to their side of the court with concerned eyes. "i'm fine…"

"No you're not." Rin affirmed as Ai managed to stand still clutching the bottom half of her face. She blinked away the tears as she shook her head.

"No I'm fine Senpai." She added determinedly.

"Really?" The captain asked seeing her wincing eyes well with tears. "Pull your hands away from your face Nitori."

"Uh…" She blinked a few times some of the tears rolling down her cheeks and gingerly pulled away her hands. Rin and Seijirou hissed seeing the bloody mess running from her nostrils down to her chin and a heavy bruise already forming on the bridge of her nose.

"I'm fine…" she said giving a shaky response and offering an even shakier smile.

"No, you're not." At that moment Ai looked down at her hands seeing the red stain on the tips of her fingers.

"You…you're right…" she faintly murmured, her eyes going hazy. Rin and Seijirou's eyes widened as she keeled backwards into the sand.

"Nitori!" Rin exclaimed as he crouched near her. The team leapt up to crowd around, but stopped hearing Seijirou bark. "Give her some space guys she's fine!" He effortlessly knelt down and picked her up, one muscled arm cradling her neck while the other cradled her legs. "Matsuoka go find Sugimoto-sensei let him know what happened rest of you take a break."

Rin found Sugimoto who went to go grab a first aid pack while they lay Ai on a couch in the lobby. "I'm going to get some wet towels to clean her up." Seijirou declared. "Keep watch on her."

Rin watched Ai let out soft breaths and realized she was covered in a messy mix of sweat, sun screen and now blood.

"She'll be okay." Seijirou stated clasping Rin's back which caused him to scowl as he looked over at the captain. "She's pretty tough except when it comes to blood apparently."

'And boats….' Rin thought with a roll of his eyes.

"Got to say you two work pretty well together. Have to schedule a rematch sometime."

Rin was about to decline that stupid request but the two saw Ai's eyes fluttering a bit as she gave a slight moan her hand cupping her face. "My face hurts…"

"Yeah because you took a volleyball to it." Rin replied.

"Here…" the captain handed her wet towel. "You might want to wipe yourself off." Ai clenched her eyes shut as she brought the towel over wincing as she felt the contact with her nose.

"Better?" She asked looking toward her two Senpais.

Sugimoto managed to find an ice pack and Ai had it pressed to her nose as she and Rin walked back to their room.

"I'm sorry Matsuoka-senpai." Rin glanced over at her as she looked at him, half her face covered with the blue ice pack.

"For what?" He asked confused.

"Well I think we might have actually won…"

"No big deal it was just a dumb game. And if anything the captain should be apologizing to you."

"Oh he didn't mean it." Ai replied as she opened the door to the room. "And honestly that's the reason I don't play sports on land. I'm kind of clumsy."

Rin let out a snort remembering her falls, stumbles and spills. 'That's an understatement.'

"Yeah you are." He affirmed. Ai felt a blush tinge her cheeks in embarrassment as she shuffled over to the rest room. "Well for what it's worth Matsuoka-senpai it was fun playing with you." She stated as Rin stared at her blue eyes which had that twinkle to them once more.

Rin didn't know what exactly the feeling that was running through his body as she shut the bathroom door.

* * *

_**The ferry the next day** _

"Nice shiner Ai." Uozomi commented with a smirk.

Ai gave a forced smile as she rubbed the back of her head. "I know! I know it's bad."

"Does it hurt?" Minami asked concerned seeing the darkened bruises under each of her eyes and the bandage across her nose.

"A lil." She replied as she settled into a seat. "Sugimoto said I should be okay to practice once we get back so there's that."

"Well for what it's worth it was awesome seeing you give the captain a run for his money on the court." Uozomi stated. "Surprised the hell out of us."

Minami gave a few nods.

"Actually that was mostly Matsuoka-senpai." Ai replied looking over to see Rin sitting across with his headphones on and a disinterested look on his face. "I was mostly just support."

The boat finally took off and she felt her stomach give a lurch. 'Calm down…calm down…' she urged her internal as she felt the waves rock the ferry.

"Here…"

She looked up to see Rin with a hand out and some wrapped candy in the palm.

"Matsuoka-senpai…" she murmured. "What's this?"

"Ginger candies. They're suppose to help…"

"Oh thank you!" She exclaimed as she hurriedly unwrapped one popping it into her mouth. "I'm sure they will."

Rin didn't say anything as he went back to his seat, leaning his head back as he listened to his music. As the boat rocked unevenly he peeked one eye open to see Ai popping another candy in her mouth, but her eyes seemed uneasy. He closed his eyes again, but they came open when he felt harsh footsteps rattle past him and he glanced over seeing Ai as she ran by, a hand over her mouth.

'So much for that.' He thought with a sigh as he stood up walking over to the bathroom. He heard the familiar sound and opened the door to see Ai on her knees once more, head in the toilet as breakfast came out of her liquids in a chunky liquid form.

"Matsoka-senpai…" She murmured when she turned her head eyes on him. "You don…you don't…" she heaved again her face falling into the basin and Rin sighed as he pulled her hair back. "

You don't have to be here." She managed to strangle out.

'So why are you?' a voice inside asked him but he quickly strangled it down.

"I know…" he muttered with a cringe hearing her continue to throw up.

"Sorry…" she murmured from within the toilet. He sighed as he awkwardly patted her back in an ill attempt to soothe her.

"You apologize way too much."


	7. Chapter 6: Images and Inspiration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ai and Rin talk about families

**Hey y'all. Sorry for the long wait real life just gets in the way and for a while I was uninspired but managed to get this out. I wish it was longer, but hope you enjoy! And thanks for reading!**

* * *

 

The phone kept ringing and Rin's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

'She's busy…' he thought angrily turning a page. 'So just leave a freaking a message….'

However, the phone kept persistently ringing, the annoying pop song breaking out once more and Rin was almost tempted to hurl the purple colored electronic against the wall to keep the song from repeating again.

As the phone rang for the sixteenth time Rin cursed before he stormed over to the desk and flipped the phone open.

"Hello…" he grumbled from across the line.

"Oh…hey…" another male voice echoed from across the line. "Is Ai-chan there?"

"No." Rin replied in a dead pan voice.

"So, who are you?" the voice asked challengingly.

"Matsuoka…"

"Matsuoka…" the voice trailed off again as if asking for more.

"Matsuoka." He repeated with gritted teeth already weary of the conversation. "Her roommate."

"Oh….yeah…" the voice gave a chuckle and Rin eye brow twitched in irritation recognizing the taunting tone. "I heard about you. So, she's not there?"

"I already told you she's not." Rin replied irritatingly. "She's in the shower so just call her back in a bit."

"Oh alright. Just tell her Mitz called."

"Mitz?" he asked. "Mitz who?"

"She'll know who it is…"

He was about to as how, but he heard the click of the caller hanging up. He glared at the phone giving a tsk through his teeth before he set it back down on her desk.

Sometime later Ai emerged from the shower donned in an oversized shirt and shorts as she toweled her hair. "I always feel better after a proper shower!" She proclaimed looking at Rin happily. "Don't you Matsuoka-senpai?"

"Someone named Mitz called." Rin mumbled ignoring her question.

"Oh Mitz!" Ai exclaimed excitedly whipping the towel from her head as she clamored over to her phone. "Thank you for letting me know! I forgot he was going to call." She flipped the phone open as she scrambled on top of her bunk and flopped down on the mattress.

"Mitz!" She proclaimed with a grin. She listened for a few moments before she rolled her eyes shaking her head.

"Oh don't say that…"

Rin wanted to put his headphones in to study. He wanted to ask Ai to take the conversation out into the hallway or any other place in the freaking building, but he rolled his eyes as he continued listening curiosity getting the better of him. Between the snippets of conversation from his reading he heard…

"Not that bad!"

"You're such a goof."

"I am not…you are!"

"Well it's your favorite so of course…"

"Oh that's great. I'm so happy for you…I wish I could, but I can't…you know how busy I've been." Rin glanced over seeing a somber expression across Ai's face as she tilted her head. "Yeah…I miss you too…Ok. I love you too….bye." Ai finally pulled the phone way from her ear as she took in a breath and gave a sigh.

"Who was that?" Rin questioned. He briefly wondered if she had managed to be dating someone from another school before he realized that he had never seen her wander off campus for more than an hour at a time.

"Oh that was my brother Mitsukuni!" she chimed coming down the ladder. "I like catching up with him every so often."

"He called…a lot." Rin added annoyingly.

"Yeah." Ai stated glancing at her phone screen her eyes widening briefly at the number of missed calls before offering Rin a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that. He's kind of a little…" she trailed off before she held up a finger "bold…He goes to an arts academy in Kyoto so we don't get to see each other a lot." she gave a small laugh with a shrug of her shoulders.

"You talk a lot on the phone?" he asked twirling his pencil in his fingers.

"We try though our schedules make it hard. We were pretty close growing up." She responded as she came to her desk opening a drawer. Rin gave a slight shake of his head seeing a mess of papers and stacked books. "Let me see oh…!" she managed to fish out an album and flipped through the pages before she gave a bright smile.

"There…" she came over her hands flipping over the page. "These are my brothers!" she proclaimed happily, her finger pointing at the picture.

"This is Ryo and Kyo. They're the oldest and twins. Ryo is actually the oldest by two minutes and he never let's Kyo forget it but as much as those two fight and compete…they're really close." Rin's burgundy eyes glanced over the picture.

Within the photo amongst a busy city background four children in a group grinning goofily at the camera. Two identical lanky guys with brown hair and bright brown eyes had their arms around each other each throwing a v sign while crouched beneath them was a younger copy of them but had black hair giving a happy wave with an opened mouth smile with bright blue eyes. Beside them was a younger child version of Ai with an uneven bob and her eyes closed giving the camera a wide smile and throwing two v signs herself.

"And that is my older brother Mitsukuni." She added pointing to the crouched boy next to her. "He's the one I roomed with before he went to the arts school in Kyoto."

"You don't look like any of your brothers." Rin stated peeking up at her blue eyes, pale skin and lavender hair that was starkly mismatched with her siblings.

"Oh yeah…well!" she pulled the book back to her face and shuffled through the pictures before she dropped the book on his desk. On the page now was a picture of a family around a dinner table looking at the camera with soft smiles. The four siblings were in the picture once again but this time on the ends of the table were an older couple that had characteristics that mirrored the children. "Yeah…Ryo and Kyo look like my dad." Rin glanced over seeing their taller father who had similar warm brown eyes and brown hair as the twins. "Mitsukuni looks like both my mom and dad. I kind of take after my mom…"

"Kind of?" Rin asked peering closer at the picture. Ai did look a little like her mom. Same soft facial features, blue eyes and kind smile, but that was about it. The woman in the picture had long black hair and her skin was a deeper shade than Ai's.

"Well I look more like my grandpa…isn't that funny?" she flipped a few pages to another picture of Ai still a child with a purple ruffled dress and oversized hat on a blanket with a mess of colorful plastic cups, pots and stuffed animals around in a makeshift tea party. Next to her was an elderly man with eyes identical to hers, a birthmark identical to Ai resting below his eye. He had the same shade of lavender gray hair, pale skin and bright blue eyes that glanced happily at the camera mirroring the child's cheer

"That's my grandpa!" She declared merrily. "He was always so sweet to me. He's the one that taught me to swim."

"You have a lot of pictures." Rin commented as she grabbed the album smiling at the picture before she shut it close.

"Something to keep them close by when I miss them." She responded staring at him with a bright grin. "Don't you have pictures?"

"Pictures of what?"

"Of your family. You have to have some pictures of your family…" she replied putting the album back.

"No I keep that stuff at home."

"You don't have any?" Ai asked disbelievingly. "Not one…"

"Why are you asking?" Rin snapped back irritatingly.

"Oh I guess it's just…" Ai stammered. "I was just wondering."

Rin sighed as he rolled his eyes and opened a drawer at the desk. It was empty except for a single photo that he pulled out showing it to Ai.

"Oh is that…" she thought briefly of the relay but realized she didn't recognize the faces. One stood out of a boy with sharp teeth flashing the camera a toothy smile as he proudly held up a trophy among a group of three other boys with a pool as their background.

"That's my old man." Rin answered as Ai grasped the picture bringing it closer to her face. "That was around the time the Iwatobi Swim Club opened up and my old man participated and won in the medley relay."

"Oh…that's why it reminds me so much of the time you did the relay." Her eyes widened as she glanced over the edge of the picture to Rin. "He must have been so happy when you won it just like him."

"He didn't see…"

"Wha…but…"

"He passed away when I was younger." Rin answered. Ai glanced hoping he'd say more, but Rin didn't add any further.

"Oh…I'm sorry." Ai murmured staring at the picture. "So, he was your inspiration?"

"Yeah…"

As Ai handed back the picture she noticed Rin glancing at it, a flash of something coming across his eyes, before he put the picture back in the drawer. At that moment she wanted to hug him and tell him she understood someone close to you who had such an impact in your life suddenly passing away, but she wasn't sure what his response would be. So, she merely put a hand on his shoulder giving a comforting squeeze. "I'm sure he'd be proud of you and what you're doing." She stated.

Rin glanced up at her before he sighed shrugging her off. "Thanks."

Rin watched as Ai went back to her desk pulling out a notebook and text book as she began to study as well. They fell once more into a comfortable silence before bed.

* * *

 

_I guess I'm getting more used to Ai hanging around. I realize that she's easy to talk to with the fact that she does most of the talking, but somehow, she gets me to talk too. I think it's just how eager she is and undeterred that you just kind of begrudgingly respond. I just wish she would mind her own business but…_

Rin looked at his journal briefly tapping the pencil on his page as he glanced at the plastic frame now holding the picture of his father.' He thought of when she had given it to him.

**Earlier that day**

"Oh Matsuoka-senpai!"

"Hey." He stopped from reading on his bed seeing Ai glancing over energetically with a shopping bag in her hand.

"What?" he asked bringing himself up to a seating position as he glanced over at her with a slightly irritated gaze.

"Umm…here!" she stated as she rummaged through her bag before she held up a plastic frame. "I saw this while I was out shopping and I thought it be good for that …you know…for your picture."

"You got this for that?" he questioned as she pressed it into his hands.

"Well I saw it and I thought it be good to protect the picture. It seems like it means a lot to you."

"Thanks." Rin answered tersely. He glanced over watching Ai with that beaming smile giving a few blinks before she began rummaging back through her bag.

"No problem Senpai."

He watched AI restock the fridge with snacks before she took the towel hanging off her chair. "I'm going to take a shower Matsuoka-senpai."

He didn't reply as she went inside the bathroom and he looked back at the Ai's purchase. He sighed as he grabbed the picture from the drawer and begrudgingly slid it into the plastic frame.

_I guess her heart's in the right place as annoying as it is._


	8. Chapter 7: Relay of Memories

_**Hey y'all hope you enjoy. And thanks for reading** _

* * *

 

Rin woke with a strangled gasp and put a hand over his chest as he panted feeling his heart throb painfully within his chest. "Matsuoka-senpai…" he glanced over to the right seeing Ai, her frame highlighted by the light of the moon that managed to sneak in from the window. Even in the darkness her cornflower blue eyes were bright peering at him concerned. "Are…are you okay?" he tried to slow his breathing as he brought himself onto his hands, feeling beads of sweat drip down his forehead, his sleep clothes now moist clinging to his body.

"It…it sounded like a pretty bad nightmare." He heard her state apprehensively over his strangled breaths.

"I'm…I'm fine." He managed to get out as he pressed a hand over his eyes before dragging it down his face. When he glanced over again he could still see Ai gazing over at him, the worry still conveyed throughout her body.

"Nightmare?"

"Don't worry about it." He muttered.

"Okay." She replied. He watched her stand up expecting her to go climb back up to her bunk, but he stared as she walked over to the mini fridge. She opened it, her body briefly being lit up by its light before she shut it and came back a bottled water in her hand. "Here…I always feel better after a drink of water when I wake up." She offered it to him with a comforting smile.

Rin glanced at it before he reluctantly took it and opened it taking a few drags. He had to admit the cool rush of water felt pretty good going through his throat. As he capped the bottle closed his eyes fell over Ai still crouching at the side of his bed.

"Matsuoka-senpai…you know I'm…I'm here to talk if you need."

"Wha…?"

"I'm here if you ever need to talk…about anything."

His burgundy eyes met hers seeing them filled with concern before she offered him a small smile. "Night senpai." She murmured as she climbed up the ladder. He took another drag of water before he capped it setting it to the side as he lay back down staring at the bunk overhead.

"Nitori…thanks." He muttered, unknowing if the girl above could hear or not.

Just as he closed his eyes, he managed to hear a soft whisper. "You're welcome Senpai."

* * *

 

_Sometimes I think I understand Matsuoka-senpai and other times…he confuses me so much._

'I just don't get it.' Ai thought looking at the screen of her laptop. Her gaze turned back to the papers at her side and she rifled through them and pulled one out. Her blue eyes scrutinized the scrawling on the page before she looked over at the screen. 'Why?'

Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a mop of bright orange hair through her open door and she turned seeing Seijirou heading to his room.

"Ca…captain." Ai called out. He suddenly turned, his gold eyes brightening as he glanced over at Ai waving from her room.

"Hey Ai. What are you up to?" he stated coming across the hall with a carefree smile.

"Oh just finishing up organizing the times and recommendations for the upcoming district." Ai replied happily.

"Did I ever tell you how much you are helping me out there!" He reached over playfully ruffling her hair.

"Th…thank you captain." Ai responded as she gathered the stack of papers up. "But are these all the request forms for the meet?"

"Yeah, so if you could correlate that with everybody that be awesome." Mikoshiba replied. "And if you need any help let me know."

"Oh!" Ai replied a blush briefly tinging her cheeks before her blue eyes briefly dimmed as an apprehensive smile came on her face. "I…I already did correlate the times though." Ai stuttered as she glanced at her laptop. "But are you sure these are all of them though?"

"Yeah. For sure. Something wrong?" her blue eyes glanced at the screen as they surveyed the print. "Um…no just wanted to make sure. I'll have the recommendations by tomorrow."

"Thanks Ai." He stated reaching over and ruffling her hair. "You're a big ol' lifesaver."

Ai offered the captain a forced smile as he walked out of the room before she glanced at the stack of papers at her side, giving an uneasy gaze as she pulled a paper out holding it in front of her.

There were numerous slots under the name but only one line was filled out.

Rin Matsuoka

100 meters free style

'Why are you only signing up for one event?' she thought as she glanced over at the chart at his times seeing the low numbers in every swim style. 'It's not even your best event…why…'

She stopped her train of thought, her eyes widening as she fumbled for her phone. She flipped it open and then pressed a button before she held it to her ear. The phone rang a few times before a voice chimed back across the receiver.

"Hi Ai chan!" Gou answered happily from the other line.

"Kou-chan. Hi! I am so sorry to bother you, but I had a quick question."

"Oh sure. What about?" Kou chirped.

"What event did Nanase sign up for?" Ai asked, her fingers thrumming nervously against her desk.

"The 100 meter freestyle." Gou answered. "What did my brother sign up for if you don't mind me asking."

"The same…" Ai answered with a sigh. "Do you know why?"

"Maybe…but I'm not quite sure."

"Ok…thank you Kou-chan."

"Sure. I can't wait to see you at the event."

Ai hung up the phone looking back at Matsouka's numbers. 'Are you only signing up for one event because of him?'

* * *

 

W _hen I brought it up during practice he got so upset._

Ai sat on the pool deck stop watch in hand as she watched Rin swim. She stared, seeing his frame cutting through the water again before he did the turn and with a speed that she couldn't help but envy as he slammed his hand against the wall. She pressed the stopwatch button and looked at the time seeing the low digital numbers.

'I can't keep quiet anymore.' She thought determinedly as she set the stopwatch down and stood up as Rin hauled himself from the pool.

"Matsuoka-senpai why are you only signing up for one event?" Ai asked as she handed him his towel and he quickly wiped his face off. "You have the option to compete in whatever you want, but you're only doing the 100 meter free style? What gives."

Rin continued to wipe his face "I told you to worry about your own events."

"But you posted great times in the butterfly. Why aren't you signing up for you best event?"

"Stop worrying about it." He snapped.

Ai opened her mouth and closed it before a look of concern fell across her face. "Is this…is this about Nanase?"

Rin towel rested over his mouth as he gave her a glower through his burgundy eyes. Ai wanted to look down or turn away, but she came this so far so she shakily managed to hold his gaze til…

"Something going on over here?" The captain asked.

Rin glared deeper as he saw some of the other swim members murmuring among themselves. He felt his scowl grow as he managed to hear 'Cat fight…' and 'Lovers quarrel'

"Everything's fine." He muttered going back to the starting block.

"Nitori…" The captain asked glancing over at her.

"You need to talk to him." She adamantly stated. "He needs to sign up for more events."

The captain's gold eyes surveyed her, flashing to Rin as he snapped his goggles against the back of his swim cap. He looked back at her again his face stern. "Is there something going on between you two?"

"No." Ai shook her head voraciously her lavender hair whipping about causing droplets to flick off.

"Then why are you taking this so personally?" he asked.

Ai's mouth stammered a bit as she looked down.

"He has a lot of talent Captain." She murmured, her blue eyes watching as he launched from the block into the water before she stared back at Mikoshiba. "You know that. His times are great and he should sign up for more events. He would easily make it into regionals. Maybe even nationals."

"That's really up to him though isn't it?" Mikoshiba answered as he put his hand on her shoulder. "Your heart is in the right place. I get it you want the best team to be put forward but at the same time if he isn't willing there isn't a point. Lead a horse to water right?"

Ai stared up, but the uneasiness hadn't left her face. "Right…" she softly answered with a hint of reluctance.

"I'm sure he has his reasons." He added as they watched him deftly stroke through the waters. "So for right now take his advice and worry about your own events."

"Ri…right." Ai stated as she looped the goggles around her neck.

"Ok! Now come on no excuse for slacking!" Seijirou claimed boisterously slapping her back a few times almost causing her to buckle right onto the pool deck.

* * *

 

_And I wanted to let it go, but I couldn't._

"Hey Senpai…are you getting breakfast at the cafeteria or waiting till we get there?" Ai asked while she grasped Rin's ankles in their usual routine of her helping him with his sit ups. "I'm still packing some bars for everyone, but I still want to get a good breakfast in my belly. I mean I know I'm not swimming till the day after, but I want to get in the right mindset."

"I'm not going with the team." Rin replied.

"What?!" Ai exclaimed as she gaped at him shocked. "What do you mean you're not coming with us?!"

"I got some things I need to do." he muttered continuing to go through his exercise. "I'll meet up with the team at the event."

"But…but….why?" Ai stammered clenching his ankles harder.

"Just let it go…"

Ai watched as he did a few more sit ups.

"Is this about Nanase?" She questioned softly. She saw his burgundy eyes narrow and she almost bowed her head, but she managed to keep his gaze. "Are you going to see Nanase?"

Rin stopped in his sit ups as he paused, resting on his hands.

"Why do you care so much?" he asked irritated. "Are you stalking me or something?"

"I care because you have so much talent!" Ai stated back. "You're so amazing Matsuoka-senpai I don't get why you're not signing up for your best event. I don't get why you're so hung up on Nanase!"

"Why do you care?" Rin snapped.

"Because you have so much talent and you're…you're wasting it Matsuoka-senpai. I've gotten the best training I ever had and even then, my times have only improved a little that I can't even compete in the events I want without worrying if I would make it past regionals." She stared down at her legs, her eyes becoming despondent. "I have to stick with the endurance freestyles if I even want a shot at making it there. I feel like a loser and it so frustrating. And you can compete in any event you want and you're only competing in one! Why?"

Rin brought his legs over, so he sat on the edge of his mattress. His burgundy eyes glanced over seeing Ai still staring down, her eyes shaky with shame.

"I'm…I'm sorry." She murmured brushing back her hair. "I…I just don't understand."

Rin recognized that hurt. He remembered the same feeling of frustration of hitting a wall. The horrible coil of defeat despite training, working and trying all for naught. He sighed as he reached over and put a hand on her head. He realized her hair was really soft, silky almost beneath his hand.

Her blue eyes peered up at his hand briefly before they locked on him.

"Look you may not be the fastest swimmer, but you have a lot of endurance. The fact that you can hang in these practices speaks a lot to that. I think you can handle the 400 meter and 200 meter all the way to nationals. Forget the 100 meter events." He pulled away his hand from her head, after he fought down the urge to ruffle it.

At Rin's utterance of these words a blush spread across her cheeks.

"Re…really. That…that means a lot to me."

* * *

 

_That was a nice moment…until I totally embarrassed myself in front of Matsuoka-Senpai._

Ai paused in her writing to shake her head in embarrassment as she recalled how she threw herself at him crying as she had mistaken his declaration about visiting his dad to killing himself.

_But after that I got to learn more about Matsuoaka-senpai. About his family and more importantly his father. It was so sad how he passed away. I can tell Rin really misses him even if he didn't get to know him that long. I also see how much swimming means to him. He wants to be the Olympic Swimmer his father couldn't be._

_Ans as far as him and Nanase…I understand that a bit more too._

_I think Matsuoka-senpai is feeling now how I feel most of the time. About training your hardest, doing your best and still losing to someone with more talent than you. He needs to realize that his hard work can pay off and I believe he can win. I know he can win tomorrow. It's what he needs to move on and be his best._


	9. Chapter 8: Past Meets Present Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Relay day is finally here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who read and left kudos it means the world to me! And a big ol shout out to EdibleNonsense for all the amazingly kind words and reviews you have no idea how much it motivates me to keep this story going!

 

_The waters felt cool surrounding Ai as floated on her back, feeling the tendrils of her hair twirl and dance around her face while the waves of the ocean gently rocked her body. Her blue eyes were hazy, and half lidded as she stared at the night sky above; a beautiful blanket of diamonds that stretched on._

_She let herself drift as she let her eyes contently close, before she felt something briefly brush against her leg. She jolted upright, her legs in the water kicking as she frantically looked around. All her blue eyes saw was the endless ocean and ripples of waves around her. She felt a panic rise in her throat when it brushed against her body again._

_She gave a small shriek as she desperately searched the waters below, but her eyes were unable to see past the darkened depths. She took off in a panicked swim before something grasped her leg and harshly tug her down. Darkness surrounded her as she desperately fought to reach the surface, but the grip around her leg was like an iron vice that kept dragging her down like an anchor. The grip briefly released before it latched hold on her arms. Her eyes blurrily blinked trying to make out the darkened figure keeping her down here…_

"Wake up!" Ai jolted with a slight scream to see Mikoshiba eagerly smiling at her from the bus aisle. "Hey come on Ai we're here!"

"Oh…ri…right." Ai murmured as she quickly rubbed her eyes, perking up as she saw the facility in the bus window. She gave a smile as she saw the lines of swimmers from a variety of schools. 'I wonder if Matsuoka-senpai is here already…'

She got off the bus with the rest of the team, as they all headed over to the check in table. "Ai you got the papers for check-in, right?" Mikoshiba asked.

She nodded eagerly handing a bright flowery folder to the captain who balked at the print, but took It handing it to the ladies at the check in tent. Once everyone was checked in, they headed into the facility seeing an array of different styled swimsuits and jackets from various schools.

"Hey Matsuoka!" Mikoshiba called out. Ai came onto her tiptoes to see Rin glancing over with a weary stare while he stood from a bench as the captain eagerly waved. "Come on team let's huddle up!"

The team gathered in the lobby, Seijirou giving a bright and eager grin. "Prefectuals are finally here, now let's show what Samezuka's got!" he declared putting his hands on his hips as he stared challengingly to his team. "You know the deal you make it to the finals you make it to the next stage at district. Don't let me down, don't let Samezuka down and don't let your selves down!"

"Yes sir!" The team chanted back.

"Alright then all you in the 100 meter freestyle event get yourselves ready. Rest of you let's set up our cheer section." The team began shuffling off and Rin began to head over to the swimmer's area.

"Matsuoka-senpai." Rin turned hearing his name called out and he saw Ai with a beaming smile on her face.

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to wish you good luck, but I don't think you'll need it. I...I know you'll win." Her eyes were bright like her smile as she said this.

Rin blinked a few times at the unwavering nature and resolution in her voice. 'She really does think I will win, huh?'

A smirk came on Rin's face as he looped his goggles over his head. "Thanks." He declared before walking off to the swimmer's area.

'Go get em' Matsuoka-senpai.' She thought.

* * *

 

"He was so close." Kazumi stated with a sigh and a shake of his head while they watched one of their swimmer's haul themselves up from the pool.

"Well he still has his other event." Ai answered cheerfully as she glanced over at the program, her blue eyes looking over the kanji. 'Matsuoka-senpai and Nanase are next to each other in their meet.' She thought excitedly.

"Any of ours next?" Shouta asked peering at Ai's program over her shoulder along with Seijirou.

"Matsuoka's huh?" The captain declared with a smirk. "Well let's see what he got."

They watched the pool deck seeing Matsuoka walk out with the other swimmers in his meet, his gaze focused at Haru walking ahead of him. Ai gave a soft smile as she watched him pull the band of his goggles against his swim cap before he stepped on the block, giving a lingering gaze over to Haru before they both crouched down into starting position. It was a brief moment of silence before it shattered when the starting bell rang and the swimmers launched into the water below.

'Come on Matsuoka…' Ai thought while she clenched onto the balcony bar and leaned over. She watched him cut through the water before she chanted with the rest of the Samezuka swimmer's through their bullhorns. Anxiously she continued to stare as both Rin and Nanase began to pull away from the rest of the swimmers and then she felt her heart race as Rin began to pull ahead on his own.

'He's faster!' Ai thought excitedly as he took the turn already meters ahead of Nanase. 'There you go! Keep going…'

She felt her heart beat quicken as she watched Nanase began to speed up after the turn, quickly coming on Matsuoka's tail before they were neck and neck on the last stretch. The two seemed to take it to another gear as they raced toward the wall with an almost unnatural speed. Ai watched with bated breath as their hands reached out practically at the same time and slammed the wall. They were both panting, ripping their swim cap and goggles off.

'I…I think he did it.' Ai thought as she stared nervously at the board. 'It was close, but I think he…'

The results flashed with a bright yellow 1 next to Rin's name.

"He did it!" Ai exclaimed giving a broad grin as Rin saw the results, giving a triumphant shout as he threw his arms up in victory, slamming them down over and over in the water as he gave shouts of joy.

Her eyes fell over to Nanase who seemed stunned while Rin hauled himself out of the water. Rin stared down at Haru, hands on his hips and a smirk on his face. He proclaimed something before he walked off as Nanase stood there alone in the lane. He lingered there before he pulled his body out of the pool and slowly walked off, head bent down as the water dripped from his body.

'I…I wonder what that was about.' Ai thought as the next line of swimmers lined up for the event. She glanced over to the viewing area across seeing the rest of the Iwatobi team stunned. She felt a twinge of sympathy seeing Kou's conflicted face as she sat back down onto the bench, clutching a notebook to her chest.

"I'm going to get something to drink." Ai suddenly claimed as she stood up.

"Hey Ai grab me a chocolate milk!" Seijirou added excitedly.

She gave a few nods as she took off heading over the vending machines. As she came around a corner she saw Rin on a bench drying off his hair.

"Matsuoka-senpai that was amazing! You made it to the finals and you beat Nanase to boot!" She felt a wave of relief wash over her, when he looked up pulling the towel off his head with a smile.

'He seems calmer.' Ai thought merrily. 'That's good…'

"Yeah well we both knew I'd win right?" he took a drink from his water bottle before he gave a smirk towards her.

Ai nodded before she gave a small gasp. "Oh I need to get drinks! See you out there Matsuoka." She left him to finish toweling off and hydrate as she wandered around for a bit trying to find the vending machines. She gave a sigh of relief as she finally saw them and she went over hastily popping in some money and getting the cold drinks. Ai cradled them in her arms trotting back she stopped seeing Gou coming out of the girl's bathroom.

"Kou-chan!" Ai greeted happily.

"Oh Ai-chan…hi!" she forced a smile on her face. "I forgot you were going to be here too."

"Are you okay?" Ai asked.

"Mmhm." Kou answered giving a few nods.

"You…don't sound it…"

'Not that I blame her.' Ai thought. 'It's never fun seeing a teammate lose.'

"How's Rin?" Kou suddenly questioned. Ai blinked a few times at the sudden change of topic before she answered.

"Good. He seems…happy…" Ai offered. "Happiest I've seen him."

"Really?" Kou asked surprised.

"Yeah…" Ai nodded a few times. "At least he seems that way."

"That's good." She murmured. Ai noticed the usual fire in her eyes was dimmed a bit.

"Kou-chan are you sure you're okay?" she asked concerned.

"I don't know. I guess I was hoping that maybe…if I could recreate the past…" she trailed off forcing a smile on her face and waving her hands. "Ah sorry I need to get back to my team, but I'll be here cheering for you tomorrow Ai."

"You…you don't have to." Ai answered bashfully.

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" Kou replied over her back with a smile as she ran off.

"Good luck in your other meets!" Ai called out.

"I got your chocolate milk, Captain." Ai proclaimed happily as she shook the drink in her hand while she skipped back up the steps to her teammates.

"Thanks just what I need before my match up!" Seijrou answered as he grabbed it before popping open the bottle

"Are you sure milk is the best…" Ai trailed off with a grimace as she watched the Captain pop it open and gulping it down in a few takes. "Now I'm ready." He proclaimed. "Better hear you cheering guys!"

"Good luck out there." Ai murmured as she watched the captain take off.

She spent the rest of the time cheering for her teammates. She could feel her nervousness building for her own events tomorrow, but she was excited as she saw the numerous swimmers from Samezuka qualify for the next stage.

Once all was done they loaded back onto the bus.

"Matsuoka, where the hell were you?" Seijirou asked angrily seeing the red-haired swimmer already seated.

"Taking a nap on the bus." Rin muttered.

"Well better see your ass out there tomorrow cheering! You're not the only one swimming." Seijirou stated with a glare as he took his seat. Ai glanced over at Rin while he leaned against the window, giving a disinterested gaze at the scenes passing by.

'What changed….?' Ai thought perplexed as she turned her gaze down to her lap. 'You were so happy before so what changed?'

* * *

 

'Towel…check…swim suit…check…goggles…check…water bottle…'

"You have everything. Now just go to sleep." Rin mumbled from his bed. "You're not going to do any good if you're sleep deprived."

"You…you're right." Ai murmured as she zipped her bag, placing it by the door. "I'm sorry. I always get really nervous before swim events." She shut the light off and climbed up the ladder before she settled under her blanket still feeling a bit twitchy. She kept running her hands over the seal plushie.

There was a silence as Rin heard her shift in her bunk while he gazed up, his mind thinking back to the volatile reunion with his past teammates.

"Nitori?" he called out as he placed his arm behind his head.

"Yes Matsoka-senpai?" Ai perked up a bit.

"Why do you swim?"

Ai blinked a few times at the darkened ceiling above. "Why…do I swim?" she softly repeated his question.

"Yeah why do you swim?" Rin asked again.

"Ah…" she put a finger to her mouth as she tilted her head. "I swim because…I guess in short…I like it. My grandpa taught me how to swim because that's the sport he was good at and ever since then I've loved it." She rolled over on her side as she brought the seal plushie closer to her chest. "And I know I'm a decent swimmer at best, but to me it's always been fun. I like how the water feels when I swim and I feel happy when I'm doing it and I….I just like it." She surmised. It was silent in the room for a moment as Ai flinched when she thought of the answer she gave.

"I'm sorry that's not a good answer is it?" she asked bashfully. "I guess I really don't know why I swim other than it makes me happy…"

Rin sighed as he turned over on his side.

'It's as good a reason as any…' Rin thought. "Thanks Nitori. Get some sleep. You got your events tomorrow."

"Ri…right." Ai answered as she felt her nervousness clench her insides again at the reminder. "Night Matsuoka-senpai."


	10. Chapter 8: Past Meets Present Part 2

_Thanks to all who read...hope you like!_

* * *

_I was so nervous this morning, but today was…amazing._

"You look you're going to hurl." Rin muttered as Ai clutched her duffel bag to her chest while the bus bounced along the road.

"Ju….just nervous." She mumbled out, before her eyes became wide. She suddenly opened her bag before giving a sigh of relief seeing her swimsuit at top a towel. She glanced over to see Rin giving her a curious stare with an eye brow raised. Ai blushed as she shut the bag clutching the duffel to her chest again.

"I... I had a really bad dream where I got to the starting block and everyone in the crowd was laughing at me and I looked down and I was….not wearing….any…"

"I get it." Rin answered tersely. He watched Ai give a few nods, but she still had a vice like grip on her bag and her legs shaking.

"Will you relax…your events aren't till later." He stated leaning back in the chair and closing his eyes.

"I…I know." Ai took in a deep breath, but everything in her body still felt tense and nauseous and unnerving.

When they arrived at the facility she went over to the check in group.

"Checking in?" the lady asked with a merry smile.

"Mmhmm." Ai gave a few nods. "Aichirou Nitori."

"Oh this is for the girls events." She pointed to the woman next to her. "You check in with her for the boys events."

"No…I'm checking in for the girls events." She answered back.

"From Samezuka?" The lady asked unsurely taking a peek at her jacket before her eyes lingered over at the group of boys with the similar uniform.

"Yes…I'm the only girl from there. You shouldn't have trouble finding my name." she replied softly.

"Oh…um…yes..you're right there." The woman responded finding Ai's name as she crossed it off. "Good luck."

"Thank you!"

"Alright you guys in the relay suit on up! We'll be cheering you on!" Seijirou declared as the team found themselves in the lobby once more. "And afterwards…" he put a hand on Ai's head ruffling her hair with a smirk. "We'll be cheering our Nitori!"

"Captain…" Ai mumbled embarrassed as she glanced at the teasing smiles of her teammates.

As she was following everyone up the stairs she gave a startled jump feeling her phone vibrating in her pocket. She gave a curious tilt of her head seeing the name on the screen before she flipped her phone open. "Moshi moshi?"

"Ai chan." Kou's voice exclaimed from the receiver. "I'm sorry to bother you this early and I know you're getting mentally ready for your events."

"It's okay…what's going on?"

"I don't have a lot of time to explain, but we're swimming in the medley relay!" Kou spoke out in a flurry.

"What?" Ai almost dropped her phone in shock before she managed to keep a grasp on the electronic bringing it back to her ear. "You're swimming in the medley relay."

"Yeah and I know it's sudden, but I really I need you to do me a favor."

Ai listened for a few moments before her eyes widened as she looked over the group sitting in the Samezuka cheer section. "I'll…I'll try Kou-chan." She stated as she shut her phone off.

"Has…has anyone seen Matsuoka?" she asked the group sitting on the benches.

"Huh…he was just here a second ago." Kazumi answered looking around. Ai sighed as she set down her duffel bag. "I'll be back….but please watch my stuff."

"Sure thing." Shouta answered before Ai took off.

* * *

"Matsuoka!" Ai felt relieved as she sprinted over seeing him on a bench leaning back on the wall. It felt like she had been running all over the facility trying to find him.

"Nitori what is it?" he watched her take in a strangled breath as she put her hands on her knees. "I told you I'd watch your event, but it's not till after the relay. You don't need to come get me."

"It's...it's not that." She wheezed before she took out her inhaler giving a few puffs while Rin gave her a grimace. She managed to steady her breath after a few strangled gasps. "You….you need to see this!" she held out a crumpled program out to him.

"What do I need to see?" she uncrumpled the program and handed it over to Rin.

"The medley relay." Ai answered. "Iwatobi is swimming in the medley relay."

Rin's eyes widened as he harshly surveyed the print before his eyes fell on Iwatobi. His maroon eyes glossed over seeing the list. They halted for a moment before a harsh glare was thrown to Ai who offered a shaky smile in return.

He gave a scowl before he jumped up, crumbling the program in a clenched fist and sprinted off. Ai gave a whine as she took to running again following his trail. "Matsuaoka! Not so fast…" she pleaded. 'I just ran a lot looking for you!'

Rin through the tunnel and stopped suddenly as he was out on the pool deck. Ai gave a sigh of relief seeing him stop as she followed his gaze to his teammates just as Makato dropped into the water. With a bang the race began.

_There was something that came across Matsuaoka-senpai's face as he watched his teammates. I can't really describe it. I guess if I had to put a word to it….sad…maybe….I'm not sure. I think he was thinking back to the relay he did with them, I mean that was his team. He kept that strange look on his face till Ryugazaki-san took to the water._

_I'll admit Ryugazaki-san is not the best butterfly swimmer. I think Rin saw that, but I was impressed that he managed to come so far after so little time. And his form isn't that bad for a beginner. As he was swimming though Matsuoaka-senpai seemed angry, his eye was even twitching when he gets into that really angry mode and I don't know why._

_And then Nanase when swam…_

_It was amazing the way that Nanase swims. It was different from when I saw him during that practice. At the practice he was beautiful and fluid. This was fluid, but had this surreal force of speed. It was incredible and I still can't fathom how he managed to win from fifth place, but it was extraordinary!_

_Matsuoaka-Senpai seemed stunned too…_

"Wow…." Ai murmured as she watched Iwatobi break out in a raucous celebration after they pulled Nanase from the water. She glanced over to Rin who seemed to have the same look of disbelief as he watched his former teammates hug in a wet happy huddle.

"Sen…senpai." Ai nervously stated seeing an official look their way with a wary stare. "I think we should go back to the cheer section. Swimmers who aren't competing shouldn't be on the pool deck."

Rin stayed still as if he didn't hear her, his eyes still on his past team mates as they animatedly talked. She saw the small hint of a smile on Nanase's face as his teammates wrapped around him in celebration.

'I think he misses them…' Ai thought with a soft smile. She took in a breath before she put her hand on his shoulder giving a gentle shake. Rin jolted as he looked down at her with a slight glare in her eyes. "Let's get out of here before we get in trouble Matsuoka-senpai."

He gave a curt nod as they went back down the hallway. She noticed the tenseness in his body as he walked down the hallway, hands stuffed in his pockets; eye's looking down.

"That was something wasn't it?" Ai asked. "I mean they even beat our team, although our team still gets to go to district which is nice, but amazing how they were able to come back from so far, but I'm sure we'll win at the next stage."

"Sure." Rin curtly responded as they walked up the steps back to the cheer section.

"Hey there you two are. Ai you better go get ready. Girls events are starting soon…."

"Oh….right!" Ai grabbed her duffel bag, slinging it over her shoulder.

"You'll do great." Seijirou declared giving her a wink and a thumbs up.

"Nitori." Rin stated as Ai was walking off.

"Yes Matsuoaka-senpai." she asked as she nervously looked over her shoulder.

"Watch the bend in your legs as you're taking off."

"Oh…right thank you…" Ai murmured as she headed off to the locker rooms.

* * *

'You'll be fine…you'll be fine.' Ai thought as she adjusted the straps of her swimsuit. She grabbed her goggle and swim cap as she took in a deep breath. 'You've been training hard….this is nothing new….'

"Ai-chan?!" Ai gave a jump at her name being called out as she slammed her locker shut. She turned her gaze to see a tall girl with bright gold eyes and blonde locks with a blue swimsuit giving her a wide smile.

"That is you!" She exclaimed excitedly before she wrapped her arms around her giving her a tight hug. "it's so good to see you again! It's been too long! I think last time I saw was from that relay in elementary!" the girl gushed as she shook Ai back and forth in a glomp.

"Pan! Hi…how are you?" Ai managed to choke out before Pan released her.

"Good! Good! Glad to see you're still swimming! Which school are you at…I don't recognize that jacket." She stated her eyes surveying the black jacket with the white and red print, before she grabbed Ai by the shoulders and spun her around. "Samezuka?! Wait isn't that the boys academy?!"

"Yeah…" Ai replied as she spun herself around to see Pan break out into a raucous laughter, tears coming at the edges of her eyes.

'She's still the same…' Ai thought remembering the overly energetic girl who was at the same swim club as her in elementary.

"That's so funny! How did that happen?"

"My name…"

"Oh right! Aichirou! Still it must be fun being around all those muscled guys!"

"Oh I'm just happy to swim." Ai replied with a shrug and a smile. "How's Mana? Is she here too?"

"No Mana went to an academy in Akira! They had a better science program. You know how she is…" Pan added putting a serious look on her face and pretending to push a pair of imaginary glasses up the bridge of her nose. "But she's been doing really good in butterfly and breast stroke."

"And you're still doing…?"

"Backstroke all the way!" Pan claimed. "100 and 200 meter."

"You're at Samezuka?!" Another girl broke into their conversation excitedly.

"Mmhmm." Ai nodded.

"Oh you're so lucky! I'm at an all girls school and I never get to see guys especially half naked swimmers all the time!"

"Oh Ai doesn't care about muscles….right Ai." Pain lightly elbowed her with a teasing smirk.

"Ah…well I just like…to swim…" Her blush deepened as she clenched her swim cap and goggles in her hand. "I need to get ready! Good luck out there."

"You too Ai!" Pan called out giving an eager wave. "Ganbatte!"

* * *

"Man this is awesome." Rin heard a second year state as he and some of the other team mates leaned forward watching the various girls stretch before their meet.

"What do you mean?" Rin grumbled out as he leaned back in his seat.

"Normally after our events we get hustled back on the bus, but thanks to Ai we get to stick around and watch." Seijirou answered.

Rin turned his gaze back to the swimmers as they took to the blocks.

"So Captain how are her chances?" Kazumi asked.

"I think for regionals…pretty good. We'll see it's always a different game when you're actually doing the event."

'For as much as she practices she should be okay…'Rin thought as he propped his head up on his hand, his eyes then looked over across the pool to the Iwatobi swimmers. 'They're still here?' he thought as he watched his sister and his former relay team chat animatedly.

* * *

"Come on Kou! We should go celebrate and get something to eat!" Nagisa exclaimed bouncing on his toes.

"It is fitting." Rei added.

"You guys go ahead I'll take a rain check." she answered.

"Why?" Nagisa said with a disappointed whine.

"I told Ai-chan I'd cheer her on!" Kou replied.

"Ai-chan? Isn't she the girl from Samezuka?" Makato asked.

"Yeah she's doing the 200 meter and 400 meter freestyle." She replied with a smile. "And since we're friends I want to cheer her on."

"Oh Rei she's the one that forced you in a speedo." Nagisa teased.

_**Earlier that month** _

" _Why is he here if he isn't prepared? He can use one of our spares, but he's go to get ready right now." Seijriou asked with an annoyed shake of his head. "Nitori! Front and center."_

" _Yes sir!" Ai answered as she came to his side._

" _Find him a spare speedo so we can get this going." He barked._

" _Right." She walked in front of the megane swimmer from Iwatobi pointing a finger to the locker room. "Come with me please.""_

" _Are you a girl?" Rei asked shocked seeing the swimsuit with the sleek lines that hugged her slim body._

_Her blue eyes became resolute at his statement as she took in a breath._

" _Yes I am, but we don't have time for that." She determinedly stated before she grasped his arm with a firm grip. "So come with me."_

" _But I'm not swim…" Rei feebly replied as the grey haired girl dragged him from the pool deck to the locker room. He watched nervously as she came to a random locker opening it up revealing neatly styled lycra._

" _Are you…are you a manager here?" Rei asked nervously pushing the glasses up his face._

" _Like you with a boy and having a girly name I'm a girl with a boyish name who ended up here due to an error, but we don't have time for that. What's is your size?"_

" _Si…size?"_

" _Swimsuit size." She replied looking over her shoulder. "I'm sure we'll have a spare in your size although you might not like the style."_

" _3…32." He watched apprehensively as she searched among the hangers before she pulled a purple and yellow speedo out._

" _Here I can say with the brand name this is one of the better ones." She pointed to the curtained shower areas as she pushed the swimsuit into his chest. "You can change over there."_

" _I…" Rei's fingers gazed apprehensively at the lycra nylon suddenly shoved into his hands. "I can't wear this."_

" _You're holding up practice." Ai huffed with a dissatisfied face. Rei remain unmoving still anxiously looking at her. "I understand. It's not fun wearing something you're not use to, but you forgot your own. And if you don't suit up then this practice is over. Sugiomoto the team advisor made that very clear that if there weren't four swimmers from Iwatobi then there would be no way this practice will continue."_

_She gazed as she watched Rei look with a grimace at the swimsuit in his hands. "It's simple. You either put on this swim suit and this practice will continue or you get so caught up that you can't wear this that this practice is over and you let your team mates down. So, what will it be?"_

_Rei glanced over at the girl with a determined look in her face and hands on her hips as she gazed up expectantly at him._

' _She's quite resolute, isn't she? Well of course she's determined she's the only girl at an academy of guys.' He sighed before he trudged over to the changing area she had pointed out._

" _Good choice and I can vouch that the swimsuit has only been worn a few times." Ai answered merrily._

"She didn't force me she was just very….persuasive." Rei replied a blush tinting his cheeks.

"It's kind of funny though. She's like Gou a girl with a boy's name." Nagisa interjected.

"It's Kou!" the manager snapped with a huff. "And she is a bit like you all with a confusing name."

"You're right." Makato answered with a soft laugh. "Although the worst thing that ever happened to us was trying to get checked into a girl's swimming event."

"I remember her during the practice!" Nagisa chirped. "She's pretty good."

"She is…" Kou replied back merrily.

They watched as they 200 meter free style was called Ai, coming out onto the pool deck with the rest of the swimmers.

"She looks nervous." Makato commented seeing as she shakily stretched her arms before she took the block.

"She probably is." Kou commented with a small laugh. "I think she always gets a bit anxious before these kind of events.'"

Iwatobi watched as she lowered herself into the starting position on the block. There was a bit of a tremble as her fingers gripped the edge of the plastic. The bell rang and the girls took the water with a splash as the cheers echoed through out the stadium.

"I haven't been swimming long, but her take off form seems a bit off." Rei commented pushing his glasses up his face.

"Yeah…but what she lacks in her take off form she makes up for in endurance." Kou commented as she opened her notebook, her maroon eyes surveying the page before looking at Ai managed to keep up pace, passing two girls at the second lap. "From the times I picked up she should qualify for finals easily."

They watched as she flitted through the water keeping pace with the top three. At the last turn she picked up her speed overcoming the lead swimmer before she continued to surge ahead.

"She likes the water." Haru murmured as the rest of the Iwatobi team looked to him before turning the gaze back to the event. She smacked the pool edge before she emerged panting as she glanced anxiously at the board.

"Way to go Nitori!" the boys bellowed from the cheer section. Ai glanced over to the guys from Samezuka giving a bright smile and a thumbs up as she whipped off her swim cap and goggles from her head.

* * *

Ai glanced over at the certificates again with a beaming smile, each of the papers bearing a first place nomenclature with her name right under. 'I can't wait to tell Mitz…and mom and dad…' she thought excitedly.

"Alright guys! Way to make Samezuka proud! We did good but still got some things to work on. Congrats to those who made it on to the next stage! Now let's get some dinner and head on home!" Seijrou declared on the bus before he sat down.

Rin glanced over as he saw Ai looking at the certificates in her hand, her blue eyes bright.

"You seem really happy…" he murmured.

"I am!" Ai exclaimed looking towards him excitedly. "I've qualified for district before, but this is the first time I've actually placed first in the finals for them." She held up the certificates proudly. "It makes me really hopeful that I'll actually make it to nationals."

She looked at Rin's unchanged face as she put the certificates back in her lap bashfully. "Although I'm sure you're not even worrying about that Matsuoka-senpai. I mean you made first in the finals for your event so easily." She stated. "I hope I can make it there too."

He didn't say anything as Ai tucked the certificates into her duffel bag before she leaned against the bus window the smile still on her on her face. "But I think we both will!" she murmured with a soft smile as she shut her eyes. "At least I know you will…"

Rin crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat shutting his own eyes. 'It's not that hard to believe that you will too…' he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pan and Mana are OC's that I have imagined for Ai for her previous swim team in elementary. Hopefully I can someday incorporate that story into this. Anyways hope you liked and please leave kudos and review!


	11. Chapter 9: Squid Pro Quo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Squid, Girl Time, Conversation and more Squid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got this sucker out. Thanks to all who left kudos it really motivates me to keep this story going. Anyways hope you enjoy.

**_ Wow finally got this sucker out. Took awhile but got it done. Borrowed a bit from the Drama CD's. Also want to thank those who left kudos and follows. Thank you much and hope you enjoy. _ **

* * *

_I thought Matsuoka-senpai would be more excited about the upcoming events. He beat Nanase and now he can focus on regional's! He is swimming his best times ever, but he's not how I hoped he be. Now he seems more…distant. I thought going to the squid festival in his hometown would cheer him up. But that didn't exactly go how I expected…_

Ai bit into her grilled squid on a stick while she weaved through the crowds. She glanced at groups of happy kids, families enjoying the festivities together, most in colorful kimono's and patterned yukata's. She leered down at her own button up yellow plaid shirt paired with a pleated black skirt and sighed.

'Maybe I should have followed him…' She thought her eyes trailing over to the direction of where Rin had taken off, but she shook her head. 'No he'd probably just get more upset.' She concluded reluctantly as she saw a familiar head of bright red hair towering above the crowds.

"Hi Captain." Ai chimed.

"Oh Nitori…. enjoying the food stands huh?" he asked before he heartily bit into a chocolate covered banana.

"Yeah they have some interesting items for sale." She replied merrily. "The curry flavored squid rings smelled really good when I was walking by and the squid paella too."

"Yeah the candy apples are my favorite so far." The Captain declared as he excitedly bit into a chocolate covered banana. Ai gave a smile as she saw two other banana's in his other hand.

"Where's Matsuoka? Wasn't he with you?" Mikoshiba questioned through his full mouth. "Did he ditch you?"

"Oh…he um….met some old friends so he was catching up with them." She lied.

"Hopefully he wraps it up soon. Last train is about to leave in a bit." Mikoshiba said. "I'm heading over to the station after I buy some cotton candy for the trip back. Want to come with?"

'He's got such a sweet tooth.' Ai thought with a grimace looking at the last chocolate covered banana in his hand. 'Hopefully he doesn't get a stomach ache.'

"Actually, I'll meet you there." Ai answered. "I think I may try those curry squid rings."

"Alright, but don't be too long. Don't want you to get in trouble if you're stranded out here."

"I won't Captain." She replied walking off with a wave. "See you soon."

'Now where were those…' Ai thought as she glanced at the stands while she walked. She almost bumped into a couple as they argued playfully over which treat to get next and Ai looked with a bit of envy at their clenched hands and joyful smiles as they strolled by.

"Ai-chan." A familiar voice broke her out of her thoughts as she spun around seeing Kou with a shaved ice in her hand.

"Kou-chan?" Ai replied cheerfully with a sunny smile. "Hi."

"Ai what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I came with Samezuka. We gave a prayer at the shrine for good luck in the upcoming tournament."

"Is my brother here too?"

"Oh he was, but he… he met up with some old friends."

Kou gave a small chuckle as she shook her head. "You're a bad liar Ai."

"Ah…" Ai murmured scratching the back of her head with a bashful smile. "Honestly he…he just wandered off. I don't know where he went…"

A disappointed gaze fell upon Kou's eyes as she gave a disheartened sigh. "I'm sorry."

"No don't be." Ai waved her hands in a dismissive manner with a forced smile. "I…I think you look really nice in your kimono. I love the color."

"Oh thanks." Kou smiled again as she took another spoonful of snow cone. "Don't you have one?"

"I do, but I didn't think to wear it."

"How about you come with me tomorrow?" Kou asked excitedly. "You can wear your kimono and we can look around."

"You're coming again tomorrow?"

"Yeah I like to observe other events of the festival that I can't really take in fully when I come here with Hana-chan."

"Su…sure."

"Oh bring your stuff over and we can get ready at my house."

"Okay." Ai glanced at her watch her eyes widening at the time. "Oh, I need to get to station to take the train back."

"I'll text you!" Kou called out. Ai took off in a light jog as she gave a happy wave over her shoulder.

* * *

** _Iwatobi Train Station_ **

"Nitori nice to see you made it back." The captain answered as he popped some pink fluff in his mouth while on the train deck. "You get those curry squid rings?"

"Oh….I forgot about that." Ai murmured timidly. "I bumped into Kou-chan and I totally forgot about them."

"Kou-chan?" He asked confused.

"Kou-chan…Matsuoka-senpai's sister." She explained.

"Oh Gou-chan!" Seijirou answered excitedly. "She was here?!"

"I think she prefers to be called…" She trailed off seeing Rin running towards them in a sprint. He stopped in front of them leaning over as he took in strangled breaths with his hands on his knees.

"You okay?" Seijriou questioned concerned with a brow arched. "What the hell have you been doing?

"You made it just in time Matsuoka-senpai." Ai chimed in. "The train should be here any second."

Rin managed to get his breathing back to a normal rhythm as he stood up straight. Ai's eyes widened slightly seeing a sudden resoluteness in his burgundy yes as he looked toward Mikoshiba.

"Look Captain. I need to tell you something." Rin stated firmly.

"What is it?" Seijirou asked while Ai glanced curiously at Rin.

"I want to be on the medley relay." Ai's mouth dropped open slightly at the declaration

"What?" Seijirou questioned with a tilt of his head. "You want to be on the medley relay?"

Rin gave a few nods of his head while Seijrou ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. You haven't been interested in any other events. Which leg did you want to do?"

"Freestyle."

"Nitori I can't recall off the top of my head. Who's' faster Masaru or Matsuoaka?" He looked over to the girl at his side.

"Ah…oh…umm….Matsuoka-senpai."

"By a lot?"

"Slightly…" Ai murmured softly.

"What's slightly?" Rin asked tersely.

".05 seconds." Ai answered as Seijriou gave a small hmm and turned his gaze over to Rin.

"Sorry. Look you're already making it to the next stage if I pull that from Masaru he's a third year and he won't have an event."

"I thought the fast one wins." Rin snapped back.

"And they do, but Masaru has been doing the relays since his first year and I'm not pulling that from him."

Rin huffed at the answer as he fought down a scowl from coming across his face. "Then Butterfly."

"Nitori who's faster on that?"

"Matsuoka's faster than Kawamara by a fair margin." She suddenly jolted to a stop as she was startled at the hiss of the incoming train pulling into the station.

"I'll think about it." Seijirou answered sternly as he boarded on once the train doors opened. "Probably the butterfly leg since Kawamura is a first year."

Rin gave a short nod as he followed behind the captain taking a seat. Ai gave a smile settling into a seat near him. "What made you want to do the relay Matsuoka?"

"Just trying something…" he muttered leaning his body against the train cars wall.

"Well I'm glad." Ai answered back. "I think with you on the butterfly leg we can't lose."

The train lurched forward and carried into a steady rhythm as Rin gave no reply, but Ai saw a sudden shift in his eyes

'Something's different with him…' Ai thought. Whether it was good or bad she couldn't be sure.

* * *

_**The Next Day** _

_So I went back to the festival this time with Kou-chan….getting ready was a new experience._

"Ai-chan you made it!" Kou answered the door with a bright smile. Her hair was already up in a more playful manner than the high pony tail she usually wore.

"Yes thanks for inviting me." She took off her shoes before stepping into the house. Her blue eyes peered about curiously. "I like the home. It's modern but still has that traditional feel."

"Thanks it was my grandmothers before she passed away. What's with the flowers?" Kou asked seeing the bundle of lilacs in her arms along with a duffel bag.

"Oh my grandfather say's its rude to show up to a house empty handed so these were for your mother." Ai answered embarrassingly. "Is she here?"

"Ai-chan you're too sweet." Kou said with a giggle as she took the bouquet from her. "No, she's at work, but I'll let her know you gave these to her."

"Thank you." Ai eyes noticed a shrine in the room. She gazed over the offerings and saw the framed picture. Kou followed Ai's gave giving a soft smile as she realized what she was staring at. "That's my dads shrine.

"Matsuoka-senpai looks just like him." Ai replied noticing the sharp teeth and facial features.

"He swims like him too." Kou added. "Let me put these in water and we'll get ready."

* * *

"He likes you!" Kou remarked with a happy giggle.

"I don't know…" Ai replied unsure.

"I've known him for a long time. He really likes you." Kou affirmed.

"You think so?"

"Trust me he's not like that with a lot of people." Kou replied firmly as she scratched the top of the cats head. "Isn't that right Steve?"

The oversized cat gave a contented meow as Ai continued to stroke its broad tummy. "He's so chunky!"

"I know!" Kou said with a laugh. "But that's just more to love…" Steve gave another meow before he rolled over and stood up. The girls watched as he lumbered off leaving the two girls alone in the bedroom.

"Is this your kimono?" Kou asked as Ai pulled the garment from her duffel bag.

"Yes."

Kou reached for it and held it up examining it. "I love the color." She commented as she held it up against her frame. The rich purple color was decorated with white daises through out the fabric.

"Thanks. My grandma made it." Ai replied as pulled a brush from her duffel bag and began untangling her hair. "Yellow and purple are my favorite colors." She added motioning to the yellow obi on the bed.

"And let me guess the daisy is your favorite flower?" Kou asked coyly as she noticed the daisy stud earrings Ai set on the vanity.

"Yeah…" Ai stated with a smile. "Let me just put this on and we can go." She reached to take the kimono before Kou pulled it out of her grasp.

"Hey there's no hurry." Kou answered setting it on her bed, her eyes suddenly excited. "Are you going to do anything with your hair?"

"Oh umm…" Ai glanced at herself in the mirror as she fiddled with he lavender locks. "I don't know….It's kind of short. You can't really do anything with it."

"Hmmm." Kou came over and fiddled with her hair. "Your hair is really soft." She messed with her hair a bit pulling it in various ways and styles as Ai glanced up curiously.

"Thanks. It's a hair treatment Mitz came up with so the chlorine doesn't dry out my hair."

"Mitz?"

"My older brother."

"It is short…oh but!" she opened a drawer rifling through before pulling out a headband with a white flower. "This will go really cute with your outfit."

"Okay." Ai murmured slipping it on.

"Do you ever wear make-up?"

"No. I hardly ever do. Only for special occasions."

A smirk fell across Kou's face as she opened another drawer pulling out a box. "I think a festival is definitely a special occasion."

"I don't know…"

"Oh come on! I know what I'm doing. Just a bit of shadow and maybe some color on the lips."

"O…okay."

Kou opened an eye shadow palette as her burgundy eyes surveyed the array of colors before she glanced at Ai and then to the palette again. "This one!" she stated taking the eye shadow brush in her fingers. "Close your eyes and wait till I tell you to open them."

Ai took in a deep breath and shut her eyes as she tried to recall the last time she wore make up. She felt Kou bring the eye shadow brush across her lids with deft strokes before she gave a hum of approval. "Now purse your lips!"

Ai obeyed pushing her lips out giving a slight flinch at the feel of the brush tip against her mouth. She felt the smear of gloss spread across before Kou clasped her hands together. "Alight you can open your eyes!"

Ai opened them and they immediately widened seeing her reflection in the mirror. "Wow…Kou you made me look nice."

"Ai you always look nice. You have pretty skin and a cute face you don't need a lot of make up." Kou replied as she began putting some eye shadow on her own lids.

'This is…exactly how I pictured it.' Ai thought watching as Kou put on some light gold eye shadow and a pink tinted lip gloss on her lips. The Iwatobi manager turned her gaze over to the Samezuka swimmer.

"What's up? You have a weird look on your face."

"It's funny but this is exactly how I imagined it would be." Ai softly replied.

"Imagined what would be?" Kou asked with a tilt of her head.

"Living with a girl roommate."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought Samezuka became co-ed so I was excited to board with a girl. I had shared a room with my brother for so long I was excited for something different."

"You shared a room with your brother?"

Ai gave a few nods. "I never saw it as weird though growing up with all brothers and sharing a room with one. But I always wanted to see how it would be to live with another girl my age."

"It's so weird that you ended up at Samezuka." Kou replied with a laugh. "Almost ironic actually."

Ai shrugged with a smile. "It worked out. I got my first place ever in the prefectural's so the training is helping. Even if most days I feel like I'm about to die."

"I love my brother, but there are times I wonder how it be to grow up with a girl too…" Kou trailed off her eyes widening at the clock. "Oh, we really need to get going if we want to get to the events."

"Right!" Ai responded as she clumsily popped in her daisy earrings.

* * *

"What events were you talking about?" Ai asked as they walked through the crowds festival crowds.

"Oh well there's one event I really want to check. Squid grabbing heaven!"

"Squid grabbing heaven?" Ai repeated. "Is that exactly what it sounds like?"

"It's even better!"

"What exactly is it…"

"I did not say that!" One voice sputtered out embarrassingly.

"That voie sounded familiar…" Kou commented.

"Now, don't say that! Look! They're slipping all over each other!" an eager voice broke out in reply. The girls looked seeing the four swimmers of Iwatobi all donned in yukuta's within a crowd.

"Oh they came again today too! Good evening, everyone!" Kou called out walking with Ai in tow.

"You're here too, Gou-chan?" Makato asked happily before his olive eyes wandered over to Ai. "Nitori-san right? Congratulations on making it to district."

'He's so sincere.' She thought while Ai nodded a smile on her face. "Th…thank you. And congratulations to you too in the relay!"

"So you came again today Gou-chan?" Nagisa asked Kou giving some nods before his magenta eyes went over to Ai. "And Ai-chan! Why are you here again?" Rei's eyes widened as he lightly smacked Nagisa with the back of his hand.

"Again? You saw me yesterday?" Ai questioned confused.

"I mean…Why are you here? Sorry I added the again." He bopped his fist lightly against his head as he stuck his tongue. "All this squidsanity has me all jumbled up."

"Oh Kou-chan invited me and I was excited to wear my kimono." Ai then saw what the rest of the crowd was looking at as two men wearing fundoshi were in a large tub of water. Their hands would break the surface cursing as they came up empty handed.

"Is this what you were talking about? Squid-grabbing heaven?"

"Yes." Kou added with a sigh. "Since Hana-chan was with me yesterday, I didn't get to feast my eyes.

"You really like muscles, don't you…" Nagisa teased. Ai smothered a giggle with her hand as Kou gave a flustered look.

"No, I didn't mean that! This is, um, how do you call it– an observational learning experience on the squid festival." She explained while waving her hands.

"You can get a learning experience from the squid festival?" Rei asked disbelievingly.

"Yes!" Kou stated confidently putting her hands on her hips as she looked over to the megane swimmer.

"Don't you know, Rei-kun? Squid-grabbing Heaven is not a sport for commoners. It's an event where men in fundoshi intertwine with a live squid as they grab at each other." She gestured to the two men. "In fact, it all began as a plan to correspond with the Ukiyo painting "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife" made by Kakushita Hokusai during the Edo period."

"Oh my…." Ai added a slight blush tinting her cheeks. "I didn't know it had that kind of connection."

"I don't see why anyone felt the need to do that in the first place…" Rei muttered pushing his glasses up his face.

"I know!" Kou eye's became bright as she looked to her team excitedly. "Why don't you all participate too?"

"As long as there's water." Haru declared his ocean eyes glancing at the tub hopefully.

"Me, me!" Nagisa added hopping up and down. "I want to join, too! Rei-chan, come on!" He grabbed his friends sleeve trying to drag him closer to the water.

"No!" Rei furiously shook his head as he dug in his geta trying to resist his overly enthusiastic friend. "Intertwining with a squid while wearing only a fundoshi… It's just not beautiful!"

"What are you talking about?! It's very beautiful! Right Ai-chan?" Kou asked looking over to the girl who had an overwhelmed look at the antics of the rival team.

"Uh….sure." Ai responded. "I'm sure you all have great muscles perfect for squid grabbing." She added timidly.

Kou nodded excitedly before gasped turning back to the boys. "And if Rei-kun joins, there will be squid, glasses, and muscles! A new collaboration! There's not a chance this won't be beautiful!"

"Squid, glasses, and muscles?! That makes no sense to me!" Rei dramatically replied.

"Come on Rei-chan! Let's do this… plus…" Nagisa tugged Rei's collar and whispered something in his ear. Rei's eyes briefly darted over to Ai and then down to his feet as his blush deepened. "I highly doubt that will work the way you think." He muttered as Nagisa gave a disappointed whine.

"Now, now." Makato broke in. "Why don't we go grab squid and take it as a chance to make memories about our summer?"

'He has such a different energy than Mikoshiba-senpai.' Ai thought looking at the taller swimmer. 'So much more calm.' Although as she stared at Kou trying to get the team in the tub with energetic Nagisa and embarrassed Rei she realized his calm presence was perfect for the Iwatobi team.

"Not you too, Makoto-senpai…!" Rei sighed in defeat.

"Right? You tell him too, Haruka-senpai!" Kou added with an excited clap.

"Rei." The group quieted as Haruka spoke in his serios stoic manner to Rei. "Don't try to catch the squid. Be the squid. Let the squid accept you."

Rei blinked a few times before put his hands in the air. "What would I even gain from being accepted by a squid?!" He asked exasperated.

"Okay then, it's decided!" Kou put her hand in the air finger pointed. "Go catch as much squid as you can!" she dug into her kimono before she pulled her red digital camera out with a bright grin. "I have my camera ready!"

"Unfortunately, you can't." Another voice broke in causing all the teenagers to turn to see a brunette woman with a warm smile dressed in simple green kimono.

"Ama-chan-sensei!" Makato asked shocked.

'Oh this is their advisor!' Ai thought as she glossed over the woman strolling to them. 'She seems nice…calm….another voice of reason probably in their craziness.'

"Why can't they participate?" Kou asked with a frustrated tone.

"Because you're underage." She stated to the boys with an apologetic smile. "The rules have gotten stricter this year, and the combination of squid with underaged persons mixed together is forbidden."

"That's a strange rule." Ai mentioned.

"Agreed." Rei added.

"Aww…it would have been perfect!" Kou put away her camera with a huff. "At least we can enjoy looking at those who can participate."

"Well we're going to check out the food stands!" Nagisa stated.

"Have fun Gou-kun. NItori san." Makato said waving as the rest of the Iwatobi team wandered off.

"Be safe." Ama-sensei called out to the boys. "You girls too. Remember as the great Greek writer Aeschylus said 'Obedience is the mother of success and is wedded to safety'."

"Who are we obeying?" Nagisa asked confused as they walked away.

"I'm going to watch squid calligraphy." Ama added as she strolled away giving the girls a small wave.

Kou and Ai watched the men struggle as they tried to catch the squid while Kou pointed out well toned details on the various bodies. As the even finished Kou gave a happy hum of approval.

"Let's go eat. All these observations are making me hungry."

"Okay can we go to the bathroom first?" Ai asked.

"Oh go ahead and we'll meet at the Ikameshi booth." Kou responded. "My treat."

"Okay." Ai strode over to the portapotties giving a small whine as she saw the line of people in front of them. As she reluctantly headed over to wait for a stall a sudden small bump at her back caused her to stumble. She brought her hands up to brace for impact before a pair of hands on her shoulders stopped he and then brought her upright again.

"Ah…sorry." Ai spun around seeing Rei as he nervously pushed his glasses up his face. "Somone…" his purple eyes glanced back with a slightly angry glare. "Must have pushed me accidently."

"Oh that's…that's okay. Thank for letting me not fall."

"It's only right…." Rei mumbled pushing his glasses up his face to hide the blush on his cheeks. Ai blinked a few times as she glossed over his kimono. "Your yukata is a nice print."

"Oh. Thank you." Rei replied.

"It's interesting. I think I've seen someone wearing something similar be…" her eyes glanced up seeing Rei's eyes who widened in worry and Nagisa's previous question came into her head.

"Were you following me yesterday Ryugazaki-san?" she asked accusingly remembering seeing someone behind her and Rin yesterday with a similar print trailing them with a robot mask. She realized she also saw the same man when Matsuoka had left her behind at the festival.

"N…no we were following Matsuoka-senpai!" Rin replied hastily.

"You were following Matsuoka-senpai?!" Ai asked with an angry glare.

"Ah…not for any nefarious reasons." Rin explained seeing a face like when he first met her and he refused to put on a speedo. "We…We were trying to avoid a confrontation for Haru. We wanted him to forget about what happened at the swim meet."

She remembered

"I understand…the last time they met didn't go to well either."

"Last time?" Rei questioned.

"At the mall." Ai explained. "They bumped into each other and it didn't go well either."

"Ah okay." Rei sighed. "I have to ask this Nitori-san and I'm sorry but do you know their history?"

"History?"

"Between Matsuoka-senpai and Haruka-senpai and the others."

"Oh….not really. I know they did the all were on the same relay team when they were in elementary before Matsuoka-Senpai left. And I know Matusoka-senpai sees Haruka as a rival, but that's all I could really tell you."

"I see." Rei softly replied, his eyes becoming pensive.

"So you followed Matsuoka-senpai after he left me." Ai asked curiously.

"Ah yes…" Rei answered breaking out of his thoughts.

"Where did he go?"

"To the Iwatobi elementary school. I lost track of him after that."

"Alright." She noticed a stall had become unoccupied and she gave a bow of her head to Rei. "Thank you Ryugazaki-san. Enjoy the rest of the festival."

"You…you too." Rei replied.

* * *

"Oh these are good." Ai commented happily as she popped a squid curry ring into her mouth while her and Kou were sitting on a bench. "I'm glad I got to try them out. I didn't get the time to yesterday."

"I can't believe Rin ditched you." Kou stated before she blew on her yakitori to cool it down..

"It's okay." Ai replied although she did feel sad that all her attempts to get him to partake in the festival activities were rebuffed, rejected or just plain ignored.

"Do you know where he went?" Kou asked.

"To the Iwatobi elementary school."

"Really?" Kou asked as she leaned back on the bench. "That's where he went to school with Haru and Makato before he left for Australia."

"Ah…that makes a bit more sense what happened afterwards."

"What happened afterwards?"

While we were all waiting for the train to get back to Samezuka and then he said he wants to be part of the medley team."

"WHAT?!" Kou exclaimed dropping the hold on her stick. The girls watched as she fumbled trying to grab it before it fell into the dirt.

"Damn….but wait what did he want?" She asked again shocked.

"He said he wanted to be a part of the medley relay team."

"What leg?"

"He originally wanted to do freestyle, but the captain told him butterfly."

"That makes sense that is his better stroke…" she murmured. "And it's for sure?"

"Probably." Ai answered. "his times are better than Kawamara-san."

"I wonder why…"

"I think seeing you guys in the relay brought out something in him. I can't describe it, but I think he…I don't know...I think he misses being part of that…."

"He did see us at the meet?" Kou asked stunned.

"Yeah…"

"I'm glad." Kou responded with a warm smile. "You know when he first became interested in the relay all those years ago he was so excited. That was his only event and he convinced the others to concentrate only on the relay too."

"Seriously?" Ai questioned. 'How did things get so different?' she thought.

"And he was so convinced that they were going to win. He even made me bring over a tin case before the meet so they could use it as time capsule for the trophy after they won."

"That's actually kind of sweet." Ai replied.

"Ai what are your brothers. We talk about Rin, but you haven't told me much about your family."

"Oh well out of the three, the one I'm closest with is…"

The two girls chatted as they checked out more events for the festival, food stands and played some games all the while talking about family, swimming, clothes, movies and music. After months of living, studying and practicing with the boys at Samezuka, Ai was happy for the refreshing change.

"Thank you Kou-chan I had fun." Ai said while they were waiting for the train.

"Me too! You and Hana should come over to my house for a sleep over some time." She added with a grin.

"I'd like that." The train had pulled up and Ai boarded giving a wave before it took off.

* * *

'It's late' Ai thought as she glanced at her watch while she walked along the dorm hall. She made it back in time before curfew but she knew Matsuokas schedule by now to know that he would probably be asleep. Ai was surprised when she peeked under the door to see the hue of the light. She softly opened the room and popped her head into the room to see Rin asleep at his desk. She gave a tilt of her head as she slipped off her shoes and walked over giving his shoulder a gentle shake.

"Matsuoka-senpai that's not good for your back." She commented. He jolted up before he blinked a few times as the drowsiness left his eyes. "Nitori…" he mumbled, as rubbed his eyes the drowsiness leaving them as he gave a quirked brow at the kimono she was wearing.

"Where have you been and why are you dressed like that?" He saw the white flower on her head band, the kimono and the purple eye shadow that brought out her bright blue iris and the light pink gloss still decorated her lips giving her a nice pout. 'She actually looks like a girl…' he thought noticing how the obi tied around her waist brought definition to the curve of her hips.

"Oh I was at the festival." She explained.

"Again?" Ai nodded as Rin eyes wandered to the top of her head. "With Gou?"

"Ye…yes." Ai stammered. "How did you know?"

"That's her headband." Rin commented.

"Oh!" Ai's hand went up to her head. "I forgot to give this back…" She pulled it off and slipped it into the drawer.

"I'm heading to bed." Rin mumbled, but he stopped before he slipped into his bunk. "Where you at my house?"

"Yes…it's a really nice house. And steve is so sweet. I'm just going to change and head to bed myself."

Rin blinked a few times as he sat down and then saw his phone. He flipped it open seeing a message from his sister.

_**Kou to Rin: Hey big brother sorry to bother you. I know Ai's phone died while we were out and I wanted to make sure she made it back safe. Did she?** _

He sighed as he typed in the one worded reply of 'Yeah.' He thought that be the end of the conversation till another one popped up.

_**Kou to Rin: Doesn't she look nice?** _

He rolled his eyes as he laid down pulling the covers over. The bathroom door opened and Ai hung up the kimono in her closet before she walked over to the bunks.

Rin noticed her face was bare again as she flashed him a smile.

"Okay…night Matusoka-senpai."

"Night…" he muttered as the girl clamored up the ladder. He realized that the girl sleeping above had somehow managed to literally be a part of his everyday life and now was a part of his family. 'Is it bad if I think they're getting close?' he wondered before he shook his head with a sigh and let his eyes shut.

* * *

**Omake**

_ **Back at the squid festival** _

"You should be thanking me Rei-chan!" Nagisa replied to his glowering friend.

"For what?"

"Well I know you like her!"

"I don't like her!"

"And she looked nice today ne?" Nagisa commented. "She looked really pretty in that kimono and with her makeup huh?"

"I am not doubting that she looked nice." Rei replied. "As did Matsuoka-san."

"Yeah but you don't look at her the way you do Matsuoka-san." Rei's glare only deepened to the Iwatobi blone.

"Come on Rei-chan you should be happy. You followed her yesterday to make sure she wasn't dating Rin-chan."

"I was following Matsuoka-senpai so he wouldn't bump into Haru by providing intel on his location."

"And I tried to make a meet cute today."

"Meet cute?" Rei asked.

"What I tried to make happen."

_**Earlier during the festival** _

" _We should hurry and get back to Nanase and Tachibana-senpai." Nagisa said as they were walking from the portapotties._

" _Yeah…" Rei eyes then stopped seeing Ai waiting at the end of the line._

" _Oh Rei it's Ai-chan." Nagisa remarked excitedly. "You should go talk to her since you have a crush on her and all."_

" _I don't have a crush on her." Rei denied but the red on his cheeks told him otherwise. He pushed the glasses up his face as he continued on. "I just admire her passion for swimming and dedication to the…"_

_A harsh shove from the smaller swimmer caused him to stumble right into her and he thanked his quick reflexes that he managed to keep them both upright. He didn't know how he managed to keep his composure as she glanced up at him with those bright blue eyes._

"I'd really thought that work." Nagisa stated.

"Nearly knocking her down in front of the restroom stalls. Yes very romantic." Rei sarcastically implied.

"Well we can always try something else Rei-chan." Nagisa elbowed him with a teasing smile and a wink.

"Try what else?" Makato asked catching their conversation as the group came closer together.

"Ah…some more food!" Rei covered.

"I wish there were mackerel." Haru commented as he glossed over the food stands. "I'm getting tired of squid."

"Yeah too bad there isn't a mackerel festival." Makato said with a chuckle.


	12. Extra Story: Revisiting Waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into Ai's past before Samezuka

_Hey thanks to all who are reading. So this chapter is just mostly a focus on Ai's past experience. Not totally necessary, but I had fun writing it. I like to think this is when she started building some confidence in her swimming._

* * *

** _5 years ago-Ryosei Swim Club Facility_ **

_A ten year old Ai shook out her short bob cut hair as she left the pool, a trail of water dripping behind her. She gave a small sigh and a grimacing face. 'They're not getting any better…' she thought dismally of her times as she grabbed her towel from the bin. She had kept swimming, but her times remained stagnant no matter how many hours longer she had stayed or how hard she pushed herself she couldn't get her times any shorter._

" _Hey Ai-chan!" she turned seeing a girl with brunette pigtails and a bright smile coming toward her with a boisterous wave._

" _Oh Yazaki-senpai…hi." She murmured._

" _Ai-chan you can call me Rumi." She replied with a laugh. "We've been in the same club for almost two years._

" _Rumi-senpai." Ai stated causing Rumi to giggle as she regarded Ai with warm brown eyes. "You're something else Ai. Listen have you ever done relays?"_

" _Oh…um…no."_

" _Well I had a team, but my breaststroke swimmer had to move so would you like to do the breast stroke leg?"_

" _Me?" Ai asked in disbelief.  
_

" _Yeah."_ _  
_

" _Why me?"_

" _Because your times are decent and I've seen how you swim and I know you would give it your all. So, what do you say?" she asked eagerly._

_Ai stared down at her feet a pool of water gathering under her toes as she thought of her abysmal times._

" _There's no one else?"_

" _Honestly…" Rumi sighed as she ran a hand through her drenched locks. "No, most are focused on their own events and don't want to wear themselves out doing a relay event and their own. But please Ai…please…" she brought her hands together looking at Ai hopefully._

" _I…I don't know." Ai responded. "Can I think about it?"_

" _Sure. Have a night mull it over but I really really want you on this team."_

* * *

_Ai came home still mulling the question over her mind. She knew there was only one person she could talk to that would help her._

" _Hey grandpa."_

_She knelt in front of a shrine that was decorated with some daises a picture of an elderly man who had Ai's blue eyes and warm smile. . "I got asked to do the relay at the swim club. I know she's only asking me because her original teammate had to leave and I don't know. I just….I wouldn't want to let them down. I'm only a fifth year and they're all six years. My times wouldn't…I don't think I …" she trailed off as she looked at the kind picture frame of her grandfather_

" _You know want to know what he would say?"_

" _Oh grandma..." Ai whipped her head to see her grandma watching over._

_Her grandmother gave her a smile before walked over and knelt beside her. "Remember the first swimming event you ever did?" she asked._

" _Ah…oh yeah." Ai murmured. She was only six years old and it was a total disaster. A registration mix up had cast her in the boys event. She had left the block late because her knees couldn't stop shaking and she came in dead last._

" _Yeah…" Ai stated disappointingly. "I did awful."_

" _No you didn't." her grandmother put a hand on her shoulder. "You did great and he was so proud of you because you swam your hardest in all those events. You always try your hardest Ai…just like he did."_

_Ai gave a few solemn nods as she glanced over to the picture. She missed seeing his face when she came up from the water to see him giving her an encouraging smile. She missed him mimicking her excitement when she brought in her placement medals._

" _You know he did relays too."_

" _Really?" Ai asked._

_Her grandma nodded. "He liked being part of a team. He thought it was great being a part of something bigger than himself."_

" _I wish he was here grandma." She said as he put her hand on her grandmother's shoulder. "I just wish I could have his advice right now…"_

_Her grandmother patted her head a few times giving a happy hum._

" _I think you're counting yourself out. You'll do good. And he'll be with you while you do it." She kissed Ai on the top of the head. "Now how about some tea?"_

" _Okay. Thanks grandma."_

* * *

**_ The Next Day-Ryosei Swim Club _ **

" _Ai-chan!" Rumi bounded up to her before practice. "So did you think about it?"_

" _Ye…yeah…" Ai answered._

" _And?" Rumi asked before she held up a hand. "And before you answer just know I would be really really grateful to you and not to bribe you but I would give you this!" She pulled out a bracelet and Ai tilted her head seeing a silver seal charm dangling from a black leather cord. Ai smiled as she took the bracelet from Rumi._

" _I'm in."_

" _Yes!" Rumi bounced up and down with a grin. "Ah thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She glomped Ai with a giggle. "We'd better get to work then."_

_Rumi dragged Ai over to the benches where two girls were stretching. One had deep black rimmed glasses and a dark pixie cut as she looked up at Ai with a cold stare fixing her glasses. "Nitori-san."_

" _Hi Tanaka-san." Ai answered._

_The blonde girl she was with gave a boisterous laugh. "Ai-chan that's going to be confusing so you can call us by our first names. Right Mana-chan?" She reached over to the girl pinching her cheek before it was quickly slapped away._

" _Stop that Pan."_

" _You both are on the relay team?" Ai asked._

" _Yes."_

" _Yep!" Pan answered with a thumbs up and a wink. "And I take it that since you're here you said yes to Rumi."_

" _Your times are adequate enough and I am glad that I don't have to perform breast stroke as that is the stroke secondary to my peak performance." Mana stated in a deadpan manner._

" _What?" Ai questioned._

" _She said that she's glad you're joining the team and that she's happy she gets to do butterfly because it's her better stroke since you're doing breast stroke. God you're so different than me it's hard to believe we shared a uterus at some point."_

" _Hey enough about that!" Rumi interrupted as she clasped her hands together. "Let's get to work!"_

* * *

**_A month later_ **

" _Ah…oh…" Ai blinked a few times. "I understand."_

" _So you need to make a decision. I'm not saying you can't do both events, but it will be tough."_

_Ai fiddled with the seal charm on her bracelet before she gazed up at her swim club coach seated across from her._

" _I understand and I know what I want to do…"_

_Ai stood up from the chair with a bow and she left the coach's office to be immediately met by Rumi, Mana and Pan._

" _Ai-chan!" She halted seeing Rumi with an anxious gaze on her face. "What was that about? It seemed serious."_

" _The coach informed me that the freestyle event I would be in would be right before our relay event."_

" _Oh…" Rumi looked to Mana and Pan nervously. "But you can do back to back! No biggie."_

" _Her capacity lies in endurance however overall speed in the secondary event will be diminished." Mana curtly responded pushing the glasses up her face._

" _Hey!" Pan snapped. "She can do both fine. Right Ai?"_

" _Maybe…" Ai started. "but I told coach to pull me out of the freestyle event."_

" _What?" Rumi stopped her mouth dropping open. "Really?"_

" _I want to do my best for you all." She looked up to her three senpai's. "I want us to win…and I know I'm the weakest one here, but I don't want to let you all down."_

_Rumi engulfed her in a hug as she rubbed her head on top of Ai's. "You won't let us down. You can't let us down! Right guys."_

_Pan nodded happily while Mana gave a short nod. "Your decision however improves our chances considerably."_

" _That's just her way of saying thanks for being here." Pan translated after she smacked Mana on the back of the head before joining in the hug, dragging Mana with her._

* * *

**_Two weeks later_ **

_Ai fiddled with the charm while she watched the city scenes go by through the window of the car._

" _Calm down. You look like you're about to hurl." Rumi stated with a giggle next to her in the back seat._

" _I think there's a fast food bag back there in case you do." Rumi's mom responded as she drove the car._

" _She's fine Mom!" Rumi added, patting Ai on the head. "She's just excited cause we made the finals."_

" _I wish I could watch." Her mother whined as she stared happily at the girls from the rearview mirror. "But I have to pick up your little brother. Maybe I'll make it back in time._

" _Eh it's cool mom if you don't, but we'll have a trophy in our hands. Right Ai?"_

" _Uh…right." Ai replied wishing she could have the confidence of Rumi._

" _Alright well good luck." Rumi's mom said as she pulled up to the facility. "You all are number one in my book."_

" _Cheesy mom!" Rumi said with a roll of her eyes as she got out of the car. "But thanks."_

" _Thank you Yakazaki-san." Ai said with a wave as she drove off._

" _I hope Mana and Pan are already here." Rumi stated as they both entered the facility. Her eyes scanned around trying to find them before she let out a small exclamation. "Oh wait here Ai! I see someone I know."_

_Ai gave a nod as she waited other swimmers for the days event passing by her. She opened her duffel bag to make sure she had everything rummaging among her swimsuit, her towel, her goggles, her snack, her…._

" _We're gonna do a great!" an exuberant voice broke out and then a harsh bump collided with Ai's back causing her to fall to the ground, her duffel bag contents going across the facility floor._

" _Nagisa…you need to watch where you're going!" A voice scolded. Ai rolled over, her blue eyes meeting burgundy ones belonging to a boy with shaggy red hair and smile with slightly pointed teeth. "Sorry my friend over there is a bit excited for finals today." He held out his hand and Ai took it the boy helping her onto his feet._

" _Ah I'm sorry." The curly haired blonde boy who knocked her down peered embarrassingly up at her with magenta eyes. "Here I think I got all of your stuff." He handed Ai's contents to her._

" _Are you okay?" the tallest boy amongst them asked as he regarded her with concerned olive eyes._

" _Ye…yeah." Ai murmured as she shoved the stuff in her duffel bag. "Thank you for asking."_

" _Great." The sharp toothed boy flashed a broad smile at her. "Good luck out there! Come on guys let's try to get a warm up in!" the tall boy, the blonde haired boy and another who hadn't said a word to Ai, but briefly glossed over her with eyes colored like the depths of the ocean._

_Ai stared after them before Rumi waved a hand in front of her voice."_

" _Ai-chan this is Aki-chan my cousin. Aki-chan this is Ai-chan she's my breastroke swimmer in the team."_

" _Oh it's nice to meet you." Aki replied with a bow._

" _You…you too. Your freestyle is amazing." Ai gushed recognizing her from the preliminary meet._

" _Thank you. You must be pretty good too since you're only a fifth grader, right?"_

" _Ye…yes." Ai murmured bashfully as Rumi put a hand on her shoulder._

" _She's great and so are my other two teammates so you better be ready Aki! We're going for the gold." She exclaimed with a wink._

" _Well me and my teammates are aiming to win so you give it your all!" Aki chan replied with a wave as she headed over to the pool._

* * *

" _Ai…Ai…Ai…" the shower curtain was peeled back as Rumi gave a sigh of relief. "There you are." She blinked a few times seeing Ai curled up against the shower wall, the pink swim cap clenched in a trembling hand. "what are you doing?"_

" _Are all of them 6_ _th_ _years?" Ai asked nervously._

" _Um….I don't know."_

" _I'm nervous…" Ai whimpered._

" _Don't be Ai." She looked up Rumi who was offering her a warm smile. "I wouldn't have asked you to be here if I didn't think you could do it and look!" She exclaimed holding her hands out wide. "We're in the finals!"_

" _I'm only here because Arisa moved." Ai replied softly, drawing her knees in her chest as she felt her stomach do another harsh twist._

" _No you're here because Arisa moved and you are a good breast stroke swimmer." Rumi said resolutely. "And you need to see that. Now come on!" she held out a hand to Ai._

" _Yeah…yeah…ok…" Ai nodded to herself as wrung the swim cap tighter before pulling on Rum's arm to raise herself up.. "Thanks Rumi I'm going to do my best!"_

" _I know you will!"_

" _Girl's Medley Relay is about to begin…."_

" _You ready Ai?" Rumi asked excitedly as she began shoving the girl out of the locker room._

" _Yes…but I…I feel…"_

" _Don't be!" Rumi interrupted patting the top of her head._

_They met up with their two teammates who were excitedly talking. "You ready to win this?" Pan eagerly asked holding up a hand with a bright wide grin._

" _So ready Pan!" Rumi responded giving a boisterous high five. "You ready to go Mana?"_

_The black haired girl gave a curt nod. "I am."_

" _Alrighty girls of Ryosei Swim Club. Let's win this!" Rumi declared._

_Ai followed behind the girls trying to stop the tremble in her legs as they lined up along the starting blocks._

" _Swimmers take your marks." An announcer bellowed out. Ai took in a shuddering breath as she watched Pan snap her swim cap and blue goggles on, before dropping into the water with a smirk. Ai glanced to the side as her blue eyes were wide and trembling, watching the other swimmers she would possibly be competing against before she felt a fist come on the top of her head._

" _Ai focus on yourself!" Rumi snapped in a harsh whisper. "Otherwise you psyche yourself out."_

" _R…right." Ai responded as she snapped on her pink swim cap while Pan grasped the dive block handles, crouching into herself. All was silent till the timer went off and Pan launched herself into the water as the spectators began their cheers._

_Ai stepped onto the starting block, pulling on her goggles. She had been with these girls for the last few months working on exchanges, running drills to smooth out their strokes and increase their stamina. Now was the moment to see if all those hours would culminate into a trophy._

_Ai watched Pan pull in, her stroke roughly cutting through the water. She crouched down, trying to slow the tremble in her knees, as she lightly grazed the block with her finger tips. She remembered how excited when Rumi asked her to join. At first, she thought wasn't strong enough. She wasn't fast enough, but after Rumi begged even promising Ai a cute charm to join Ai eagerly did, just happy to be on a team. She wouldn't let them down. With this thought she saw Pan's hand strike the wall and she launched herself from the block._

* * *

" _So close!" Rumi stated disappointingly as she wrapped her arms around her teammates drenched in water. "We were so close!"_

" _Chill Rumi." Pan stated elbowing the tall brunette in the stomach with an elbow. "We did pretty good!"_

" _I will take silver over last." Mana replied as she shook out her hair._

" _Yeah. You're right." Rumi agreed as she gave the girls a bright grin. "Ah I wish I could say there's always next year!" her teammates saw a brim of tears coming on her eyes._

" _Don't because I'll cry." Ai responded putting a hand over her mouth, feeling her own eyes fill with tears. "But thank you so much for letting me be a part of this."_

" _Thanks for being here." Rumi enveloped her in a hug, rubbing her head on top of hers._

" _Rumi!" the girls turned to see Aki waving eagerly at them as she came over before lightly smacking her cousin on the shoulder. "That last push!"_

" _Me?! You were on my tail. I think the only reason I beat you is because my arms are longer. You sticking around to watch the boys relay?"_

" _Yes my friends from the club made the finals. Are you sticking around."_

" _Definitely at least until my mom shows up. Pan, Mana what about you?_

" _Me and Mana have to wait out front from our mom sorry. Still on for the pizza celebration at your house tomorrow." Pan replied._

" _Defnitely!" Rumi replied looking over to Ai. "We have till my mom gets back so might as well watch."_

" _Sounds fun." Ai's answered with a bright smile._

" _So where's this awesome team?" Rumi asked while her, Ai and Aki sat on the benches watching the pool below._

" _There." Aki murmured pointing to the four boys donned in green shorts, the three staring at the one with shaggy red hair as he talked before they gave a happy nod. Ai's eyes widened recognizing the same boys who had bowled her over._

"Boys swimmer medley relay take your marks."  _The announced stated as the pool's atmosphere silenced and the backstrock swimmers fell into the water._

_Ai watched as the tallest boy dropped into the water, gripping the handles. He stared up at his team who gave him encouraging smiles before he crouched into position. Then the timer rang…_

_The girls watched him cut through the waters. His stroke was very rough and choppy, but there was a power behind it. As he came on the turn the blonde boy got on and then launched off. Ai admired how his arms seemed to get longer and longer._

_Then the shaggy red haired boy got on giving a broad smile as he snapped the back of his swim cap with his goggle strap before stepping in position. He bounded off the blonde boy giving a shout of encouragement as he cut through the water._

_The stoic boy finally took the block and then bounded off as his teammates cheered for him._

" _His form…"Ai commented._

" _It's really something isn't it?" Aki said with a grin "That's his style. Free…"_

_Aki applauded as Haru came in and the group looked to the board to see their club name next to the one. "They did it!"_

" _Wow."_

" _Even I'll say they're pretty good." Rumi answered. "Right Ai?"_

_Ai nodded as Rumi gave a chuckle pinching her cheeks. "You're cheeks are red Ai are you in love?"_

" _No…no just they're really good." Ai answered. "All of them have really dynamic forms."_

" _I can introduce you if you want." Aki offered._

" _Ah that'll have to wait." Rumi said standing up from the bleachers. "My mom's here. Let's go Ai…"_

" _Ok." She took a last linger as the group was hugging each other with bright smiles even the stoic boy having a flicker of a smile on his face._

* * *

**_Rumi House the Next Day_ **

" _Well deserved girls!" Rumi declared holding up a can of soda. "To our win…" she gestured to the silver trophy in the middle._

" _To our win!" Pan replied while Mana gave a nod._

" _I'm going to miss this." Ai added. "I'm going to miss you all."_

" _You can do a relay team next year." Rumi answered helpfully._

" _Actually here." Mana stated holding out a paper to Ai. "I did a correlation of all our times and interestingly enough your breast stroke time marginally improved doing our competition. Considerably in fact."_

" _What?" Ai asked looking to the chart seeing the linear graph._

" _She said that you turned it up an extra gear during the competition. You beat four six years. You know that right?"_

" _Ah…no I just wanted to try not to be last." Ai answered._

" _So humble Ai…" Rumi said with a sigh. "I'll miss you but we'll see each other out there in the meets. I know it." She confidently declared. "Now let's eat!"_

* * *

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Rin asked. Ai was staring at the black cord bracelet her finger tracing the metal seal charm that was resting in her palm. The silver had worn off and the cord had begun to fray, and the clasp that kept it together broke, but she could never throw it away. She turned to Matsuoka with a smile from her desk chair.

"Nothing just reminiscing about the past." She answered as she set the charm back in the drawer.

"Weren't you looking for a book for your report?" Rin asked.

"Oh right!" Ai opened the drawer again and she began searching through. "I think it's in here somewhere….oh I still have some gummi candy!" Rin rolled his eyes as a pile of books toppled over going on to his side.

"You really need to organize." He growled picking up the books and tossing them at her.

"I know where all the important stuff is." Ai responded as she continued searching undeterred as the objects flew overhead.

"Except the book…"

"Here it is!" Ai declared waving the book with a merry smile of one of the books Rin threw. "Thank you Matsuoka-senpai."

She opened it up and then looked over to Rin who was still going over his own studies.

"Matsuoka-senpai…"

"Yeah?" He asked turning toward her.

"Do you…you remember?" she trailed off as he gave her an anticipatory stare. 'Me?' she finished in her head, but she figured he didn't. He had his own team to focus on. His own goal to accomplish. He probably didn't remember the girl he bumped into all those years ago.

"What?"

"Ah….nothing." she answered with a shake of her head and a wave of her hand. "Thanks for helping me find my book."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really essential to the overall plot, but had fun writing none the less. Hope you like and thanks to all who left kudos it really motivates me to keep going. Till next watertime!


	13. Chapter 10: Diving Ducks and Shark Songs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin sees Ai's effect on the Samezuka swim team and the fun art of Karoake

_**Hope you like! Thanks to all who read!** _

* * *

"Hey is Nitori-san here?" Rin glanced up from his desk seeing a teammate whose name he couldn't remember.

"No. I think she went to the library or something. Why?"

"Oh, okay. Can you make sure she gets this?" he placed a pair of boxes on Ai's desk. One was wood that had seen better days and battered with floral stickers across. The other was a lavender cardboard box with the name of a bakery that was nearby.

"What the hell is this?" Rin asked walking over and picking up the wooden box.

"Old Japanese flash cards she made." Rin opened it and tilted his head at the bright lavender coloring and pictures of daisies decorating them as he gave the guy a look and he chuckled in response.

"Yeah I know. Super Girly. I couldn't take those out in public, but they really helped me out. I don't think I would have passed without them."

"Yeah I'll make sure she gets them." He replied setting them down on the desk.

"Do you know if she likes mochi?" the guy asked gesturing to the cardboard box. "I got that from the bakery as a thank you."

"I don't know."

"You've been living with her for months and you don't know if she likes mochi?" he asked.

"It's not like I keep track of her." Rin snapped.

"Okay." The guy stated back holding up his hands in defense. "Sorry. Just tell her thanks for me." He added walking out.

Ai came in some time later her cheeks tinted and a light sheen on her forehead.

"Where were you?" Rin asked.

"Out for a jog with Ito-san." She wheezed. "We're trying to build up better endurance for the upcoming meet." She scrambled as she searched through her drawer and gave a smile as she pulled out her inhaler quickly giving a few puffs followed by a sigh of relief.

"Who?" Rin asked.

"Ito-san." Ai replied. "He's in the 200 meter and 400 meter free style."

"Some guy dropped these off." Rin mumbled.

"Oh Takahara-senpai." She answered as she grabbed the cards. "Did he say if they helped?"

"Yeah…"

"Good." Ai said with a relieved sigh. "He seemed worried about his upcoming exam. I'm glad he did okay." She then noticed the cardboard box and pointed to it. "Did he leave this too?"

"Yeah as a thank you."

"So sweet." She opened it up and gave a coo. "Oh how cute!"

She showed the contents to Rin who gave a disinterested stare as a box full mochi chicks peered up at him with unblinking black icing eyes.

"That's so nice of him." She added before she picked one up eagerly biting into it.

'I guess she does like mochi….' He thought.

"They're really good. Do you want one Matsuoka Senpai?" she asked holding up the box to him.

"No."

"Okay." She responded undeterred by his gruff response before she went to the open door across the hall with the box in hand. "Mikoshiba-senpai do you want some mochi?"

"Sure!" Seijirou stated as he eagerly took one. "Ah they're from that awesome bakery nearby cool!"

"Would you like some as well Mitobe-senpai." She said offering the box to Captain's room mate who took one with a smile.

'Does she know everybody?'

* * *

When Rin walked into the room he got used to seeing one of either three things. He would see Ai on her bed usually reading or brushing out her hair. Or he would see Ai studying at her desk. Or he would see Ai looking for something, usually a book to read for class that she would either read at her desk or her bed.

What he didn't expect to see was Ai being glomped by a shirtless guy as he murmured "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

"What the?" In shock, he dropped his bag at the door startling both.

"Oh hey Matsuoka." The guy turned to him with a t shirt in his hand and slipped it on, buttoning it over his toned body. "Thanks again Ai! You are amazing!" he said flashing a broad smile as he left.

Rin eyes traveled to his bed and then to Ai's bed seeing the unruffled sheets. He then looked over to the desk seeing the chaotic mess and nothing on the floor. Nothing more than the usual.

"What was that about?" Rin asked.

"Oh…." Ai scratched the back of her head with a smile. "Saito-san was about to go out on a date, but as he was putting on his shirt the sleeve tore. Thankfully I managed to fix it for him." Rin's eyes finally saw the needle and spool of thread in Ai's hands.

"You know how to sew?"

"A little." Ai said as she came over to a colorful plastic container. She opened it revealing an array of needles and spools of thread. "I can fix small things like that or sew a button, but I wouldn't be able to fix major damage or make my own clothes. Despite Mitz trying to teach me, I never really picked up how to use a sewing machine."

"He couldn't just get another shirt?" Rin asked.

"That's his only nice shirt." She responded with a giggle. "And he was really excited for the date. He was worried he was going to have to be late or worse cancel. He was so upset and frantic. I'm just glad I could help him out. I hope it goes well. They had a really nice meet cute." She added looking at Rin with a merry smile on her face.

"Meet cute?"

"How they met. Saito-san saved her from falling on some spilled oil at the market and from there butterflies." She gave a small sigh. "It's like something out of a shoujo don't you think Matsuoka-senpai?"

Rin almost let out a snort of derision. "Does it look like I would be into shoujo?"

"Oh I'm sorry. A little girly right?" she shoved the container in a cabinet. "Still I hope they have a nice date."

Rin heard heavy foot steps clamoring before the guy burst into their room and picked Ai up in his arms.

"It went great Ai!" he hugged her excitedly as he gave her a gentle shake back and forth. "I can't thank you enough. Oh…I should get more nice shirts." He set her down as Ai gave a laugh.

"Oh that's good." She remarked. "I'm happy for you."

"Oh and here." He held up a bag brimming with cans. "I picked you up some Pocari Sweats as a thank you. I've seen you drink some from time to time."

"You didn't have to." She replied.

"No, I needed too." He added shoving the bag in her hands. "You really helped me out there." He gave a wave as he walked away. Ai popped one open and held the bag out to Rin with an eager smile.

"Would you like one Matsuoka-Senpai?"

He took a look at her bright blue eyes and unwavering smile then sighed.

"Sure." He responded as he pulled one from the bag and popping it open. He watched Ai go back to her studying her humming interrupted by intermittent sips of the Pocari sweat.

"Anybody ever tell you that you're too nice?" Rin questioned.

She looked up from her book and laughed giving Rin a warm stare. "You sound just like Mitz. I think you two would get along well."

Rin started to notice how much Ai knew of everybody. It both impressed and annoyed him of how she kept track of their names, and their problems and their families. He realized too of how much she helped out whether it was giving teas to help cure a cold, lending out reading materials to guys in her class or giving them advice from a female perspective.

The one she seemed to help the most was…

* * *

"And here you go Captain!" She proclaimed as she pointed to the laptop screen as she scrolled through the pages. "I got the regiments here. The schedules here and the times here!"

"Great!" He exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head with a sigh. "You know when I got made Captain I thought I would just have to motivate people and keep underclassmen in line not all this paper work crap."

"Well I'm here to help if you need me." Ai offered. "I know it can be a lot to keep track of."

"And you're a big help." A loud rumble erupted causing the captain to laugh as he patted his stomach. "Man I'm hungry. Hey let's get something to eat Nitori! My treat!"

"You don't have to."

"Nah come on!" he exclaimed looping an arm over her shoulder. "I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Alright…let me just change really quick." Ai went across the hall Seijirou following behind her.

"Hi Matsuoka-senpai." She greeted as she grabbed some clothes from the closet before going to the bathroom.

"Hey Matsuoka! Nitori and me are going to get something to eat you want to come along?"

"I'm good." Rin muttered not looking up from his book.

"Naw. Come on!" Seijirou said coming over and slapping his back a few times causing Rin to scowl. "I don't think I've ever seen you out with anybody. Come on get your shoes on and let's go!"

"I…"

"Not taking no for an answer. You're coming! Even a tsundere like you can have some fun."

"I'm not a…." Rin started angrily but was interrupted when Ai emerged from the bathroom wearing a white t shirt with a bright red heart in the middle over some black and red plaid skinny jeans. "Ready."

"Hey Nitori those new?" Seijirou asked.

"Oh…" Ai blushed as she shuffled the hem of the shirt. "Yeah. Mitz actually made these. He said I needed to stop dressing like an eight year old boy or an eighty year old woman."

Rin almost let out a laugh as Seijirou replied. "Well they look good. Now let's get going. Matsuoka's coming with us."

"Oh great!" Ai exclaimed giving him a beaming smile. "So where are we going?"

* * *

**_A train ride later..._ **

"This is an interesting choice." Ai murmured.

"I forgot these were a thing." Rin muttered looking with disdain at the place. "These are still a thing?"

The three were in front of the brightly colored place with neon Karoake signs all across as happy and eager teens both filed in and out.

"Yeah they're a thing!" Seijioru exclaimed as he began gently shoving the teenagers toward the entrance. "Now let's have some fun!"

It only took a moment for them to get their own room and Seijirou began looking through the food and drink options through the karaoke machine.

"What do you want to drink Nitori?"

"So many options…" Ai murmured watching Seijirou flip through the selections through the electronic screen. "What are you getting Mikoshiba Senpai?"

"The Icy Orange Creamsicle Soda." He declared pressing the buttons on the electronic screen. "Matsuoka what do you want?"

"I'm good." Rin declared from his spot on the rooms couch.

"Old Fashioned Barley Tea it is!" Seijirou declared as Ai began to flip through the selections.

"Pear…Apple….Pear Apple….Taro…Green Tea…Matcha….Oh Watermelon Juice!" she selected the choice looking up at the Samzuka captain with a smile.

"Now food. I'm getting the UnmiSTEAKen Love."

"I like the fun names." Ai said as she flipped through. "The Kiss Me Curray-zee sounds good."

The food and drinks were delivered quickly Seijirou gobbling it up and Ai finishing hers in polite bites as Rin idly sipped his drink. After they were done Seijirou began searching through the song list with eager eyes.

Rin leaned back with a bored expression till a bowl came into his view. "I don't think I'm going to finish mine Matsuoka-senpai. Do you want some?"

Rin shrugged as he took it finishing the rest.

"Now let's get to the really fun part." Seijirou announced with a smirk as he began fiddling with the karoake machine. "And we're definitely doing the scoring option."

"Are you entering our names?" Ai asked.

"Yep! All three of us." Seijirou answered revealing his entries proudly.

Mikoshiba Seijirou

Nitorin

Rin-Rin

"Nitorin?" Ai asked.

"Typo." Seijirou said with a shrug as he tapped the mic.

"Rin-Rin?" Rin asked with a scowl looking angrily at the captain. "Why the hell did you make mine Rin-Rin?"

"My finger was getting tired."

"You could have just typed Rin…." Matsuoka muttered but that was drowned out as the music began to play the captain looking enthusiastically at them before he began belting out a rap.

Ai bobbed her head to the music with a smile while Rin gave a few solemn blinks. When the captain finished with a fist pump Ai eagerly clapped and Rin gave a few slow ones of his owns before Seijirou held out the mic to him.

"92 points! Top that Matsuoka."

Rin reluctantly stood up and shuffled through the songs before he picked a slow pace rock song. He half heartedly sang through Ai giving him a smile and a thumbs upas he finished before he took a seat. Seijirou gave a wry chuckle looking at the score before looking at Ai.

"72 points. That should be easy to top that. Nitori you're up!"

Ai stood up and shuffled through the music, her blue eyes scanning the pages before she gave a bright smile, pressing the screen. "This one."

A techno beat broke out layered by drum beats and guitars. Ai stood in front of the mike, her hands fidgeting with her hair as she gazed apprehensively at her two teammates flashing an awkward smile. She took a deep breath closing her eyes and began to sing.

"Talked ourselves to death. Never saying what I wanted. Saying what I needed…."

Rin's eyes widened at the voice emerging from Ai's mouth. He had heard her humming as she did her homework or fold laundry, he could hear her faint singing echoing from the bathroom whenever she would take a shower, but hearing it unfiltered amplified by a microphone; he realized she was completely on another level.

"I pushed you to edge….Never knowing what I wanted. Knowing what I needed you to say. Reflections you used to see. Never look alike to me…"

"Woah." Seijirou murmured with wide gold eyes before he clapped giving Ai a bright grin. "Sing it out Nitori!"

"So do you want to turn it around? And do you want to show me how? You are a kaleidoscope. You are a kaleidoscope." She kept singing her hips swaying slightly to the music as she bobbed to the song.

As the techno beats faded she opened her eyes glancing over at the karoake screen and gave a grin.

"Congratulations Mikoshiba-senpai you did better."

"Yeah I rock! Seijirou exclaimed as scrambled over to the machine. "Hey Ai! Let's do a duet." He brought out another microphone holding it out to her.

"Oh…okay…which song?" Ai replied as she grabbed the microphone turning it on.

The captain shuffled through the song list before he pointed one out. "Know this one?"

"Umm I think so."

"Alright then let's do it!" Seijirou said as he pressed the play button, and piano music began playing.

"Hey I heard you were a wild one…" Ai's eyes widened at the slightly scandalous lyrics but she continued to sing as Seijirou gave her encouraging nods. "Oooh. If I took you home it be a home run. Show me how you move."

Rin watched Ai and Seijirou duet giving each other smiles and glances as Ai sang and Seijirou rapped his parts. As the song continued on, he noticed how bright Ai's eyes were as she shimmied her shoulder a few times and swung her hips while they continued singing.

'I feel like a third wheel on a date.' Rin thought with a scowl. As the song finished Ai singing the last parts Seijrou looped his arm over Ai's shoulder pointing excitedly at the screen.

"95 points!" Seijirou held up his hand and Ai let out a giggle as she gave him a high five.

"You want to try to top that Matsuoka?" Seijirou challenged.

Rin gave him a glower before he stood up taking one mic in his hands. Ai watched as he pressed through the song buttons before he grabbed the other mic. "Ai…." He tossed the microphone at her which she clumsily caught and stared at Rin with a bewildered gaze as he pressed the play button on the screen. Her eyes widened in recognition as a peppy beat with horns and tambourines broke out. It was a song she had sung in the shower and played in the background as she studied or worked out.

"I know you know this song." He said over the music as she stood up with a bright smile and turned on the mic.

"I don't like walking around this old and empty house."

"So hold my hand I'll walk with you my dear." Rin sang.

"The stairs creak as I sleep. It's keeping me awake." Ai continued belting out.

"It's the house telling you to close your eyes." Rin sang back.

"And some days I can't even trust myself."

"It's killing me to see you this way."

"Cause though the truth may vary this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore." They sang together.

As they sang Rin and Ai eyes met, Ai's smile wide as she sang her parts through the more upbeat parts of the song. Rin lips couldn't help but twitch upward in response as he sang back his parts. A

"Though the truth may vary…this ship will carry our bodies….safe to shore…" they finished together as the song played out.

"Matsuoka-senpai! Look!" Ai exclaimed as she pointed to the screen.

Rin's eyes went over to the karaoke machine seeing a bright green 97 surrounded by bright electronic speckles of confetti.

"You two are a good team." Seijirou said with a smirk looking over at the two.

The rest of the hour was spent singing out songs, duets and even a song with all three of them belting out Rin and Ai sharing a mic.

* * *

"It's been awhile since I've gone to Karoake." Ai stated as she settled into her blankets to go to bed. "I forgot how much fun it is."

"It wasn't as bad as I thought." Rin replied as he settled into his own bed. 'Especially with him…' he thought thinking of their over eager captain across the hall.

"You have a good singing voice." Ai added. "I'm surprised you don't like Karoake."

"Yours is better." Rin responded as he closed his eyes. "I get why you do like it."

"Th…thank you. And thanks for singing that song with me. I've always wanted to do a duet to that one." She gave a yawn before she tucked herself tighter into her blankets. "Night Matsuoka-senpai."

* * *

_**The next day** _

Rin watched Ai mouth move in awkward positions the weird sounds coming out as she surveyed the book in front of her with scrutinizing eyes. He continued to stare with a grimace as she huffed out strange uttering her tongue displaced as she kept garbling pronunciation after pronunciation. Ai's eyes came up from her book and noticed him looking at her.

"I'm sorry Matsuoka-senpai. Am I bother you? Should I go somehwere else?"

"What are you doing?"

Ai gave a defeated sigh as she held up her book with the title of 'Intro English' on the front. "My English teacher wants us to do a pronunciation exam and I need to do well otherwise I'll have to forgo some swim practices and I don't want to do that. But if I'm bothering you practicing I'll go to the common area."

Rin sighed as he stood up and brought his own chair over to Ai's desk. "When's the exam?"

"Four days from now."

Rin inwardly groaned in his head as he sat down. "Try it again."

"You don't have to Matsuoka..."

"You help everyone else out here! Now just let me help you!" Rin snapped. Ai blinked a few times as Rin ran a hand through his hair and he took a breath. "You want to make nationals don't you?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Then you need all the practice you can get. With that and definitely with this. So try again."

Ai gave a nod as she proceeded to garble the pronunciations again and Rin put a hand to his forehead as she looked expectantly at him.

"Again." he replied wearily before he gave a few corrections.

* * *

It only took a few hours of practice a day, but Ai managed to pass her exam and Rin couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of happiness as he watched Ai jump up and down with her passing paper clutched to her chest.


	14. Chapter 11: Watery Lungs and Chlorine Tears Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> District Day is Finally Here. Tears! Angst! And Friendships.

**_Wooooooooh! Got this sucker out. Sorry it took so long, hope the length makes up for it. Hope you enjoy_ **

* * *

_She felt herself sinking deeper and deeper, the light of the sun shrinking as she fell into the darkened depths below. Her blue eyes peered hazily as she felt the pressure of the water press into her, the force of its grip increasing till she was completely smothered from head to toe in its tight grasp. She hazily blinked trying to bring herself to move as she heard the thud of her heartbeat echo in her ears._

' _I want to move…' she thought drowsily as she felt her lavender hair lightly caress her face. 'I need to move….so why…why…can't I?'_

_Even her thoughts were getting hazy as she tried to move a single muscle but all she could feel was the tug of the water pulling her deeper still. As the light became a single wispy speck above Ai felt the coarse earth hit her back as her body settled onto the bottom._

_She heard her heartbeat slower still as she felt colder and colder. Her eyes began to close till a flick of something darted across. Her eyes shot open and her mouth fell apart in a scream as all she saw was sharpened teeth coming at her…._

"Ah!" she smacked her hand against her shoulder, her blue eyes wide as she peered around. Instead of the darkened depths she was met with a blinding light that blearily came into focus of stacks of books and green eyes peering at her.

"Wha…" she murmured rubbing her eyes. "What's going on?"

"You zonked out." Shouta replied as he surveyed her reading material. "Although I don't blame you. That history stuff is pretty boring."

"Oh…right…" Ai shook her head a few times trying to break her drowsy haze. "I can't believe I fell asleep studying." She muttered embarrassingly.

"No big deal." Shouta replied with a shrug and a smile. "Just woke you up because you looked uneasy. Nightmare?"

"Um…no….just uncomfortable." Ai answered as she thought back to the vivid fear she felt of the teeth coming at her.

"Well you better get your gear. Practice is going to start soon."

"Ah…right." Ai replied gathering her things as she rubbed her eyes again trying to fight the lingering uneasy feeling from her dream.

* * *

**_Samezuka Pool_ **

Ai felt the flow of the water over her body as a flurry of bubbles clouded her goggles, but her legs kept kicking and arms fighting through the water till her hand smacked against the pools wall. She whipped her swim cap off and stared up at Kazuki and Toru expectantly.

"How's…that?" Ai asked between pants while she pulled off her goggles. Kazuki crouched down and held out a hand to her.

"Not bad." Toru answered showing her the time on the stop watch. Ai's mouth twisted before she took Kazukii's hand and pulled herself out of the pool.

"You don't look happy." Kazuki added while Ai glanced over the time again before she reset the watch.

"I just wish it was a bit better." she murmured. "My best time right's on the edge for qualifying during district."

"Hey chill out." Toru answered putting a hand on her head giving her a playful smack. "You'll be fine. Right Kazuki?"

"Definitely." Kazuki answered with a smirk.

"Th…thanks." Ai replied putting the smile back on her face.

"Yeah I think you're the type to turn it up a notch during competition." Toru added. Ai's smile grew as she looped her goggles over her neck and took the stopwatch from him. "I'll time you now Toru-san"

"Hey anyone seen Matsuoka?" The captain asked coming to the group.

"He went out to go talk to someone." Someone answered.

"Who?" Ai asked curiously.

"Some dude from another school. Ryu…ryuzaki or something like that."

'Does he mean Ryugazaki-san?' she thought glancing over to the exit. 'Why would Ryugazaki-san be here? Why would he want to talk to Matsuoka-senpai?'

"Did he say what…" she trailed off when she saw Matsuoka re-enter with a slight scowl on his face as he snatched his duffel bag before he threw towel over his head on the way out.

"Weird. Matsuoka usually stays for the extra practice time." Kazuki muttered.

"Here." She said handing the stopwatch back to Toru. "I'll make sure he's okay." She trotted after him and managed to catch him in the facility hallway.

"Matsuoka-senpai are you alright? You usually stay for the extra hour."

He turned towards her with a glower. "I'm fine. I just don't feel like practicing right now."

Ai could see the tension radiating in his body, causing every muscle in his body to be taut with anger.

"Are you…are you sure?" she asked softly.

"Yeah." Rin snapped as he glared at her. "So just leave me alone. Go practice or whatever." He stormed off. Ai took in a breath before she let out a sigh. 'I just wish you would let me know what's going….I just wish I could help…'

"You okay Nitori?" She heard Seijirou ask as she came back onto the pool deck.

"Mmhmmm." She murmured as she brushed her hair behind her ears forcing a smile on her face.

"Did Matsuoka leave? The relay team wanted to work on exchanges."

"Oh…he did. I think he just felt a bit fatigued."

"Well guess we'll have Kawahara fill in for now." Seijirou stated before he gave a whistle calling the swimmer over.

"Matsuoka okay?" Kazuki asked as Ai came back to the lane.

"Yeah…he's just tired." She lied.

"Weird. Usually he's the last one out here. Guess it caught up with him." Toru replied with a shrug.

"Can you time me again Kazuki-san?" Ai ask as she got on the starter block. "I want another try at the 400."

"Uh, sure." He replied resetting the stopwatch. "Surprised you have the stamina to try for that again."

Ai looped the goggles over her eyes and dove into the pool thankful for the water's embrace.

_**The next day** _

_I'm not sure what's going on with Matsuoka-senpai._

Ai watched Rin swim the butterfly his form coming out of the water again and again. She remembered the first time she saw it and how amazing the kick of his legs that managed to power him into the air before he swiftly dove in the water. The stroke he was doing now was a watered-down version. The movements were there, but it had none of his signature fire behind it.

"He seems off today." She murmured to Seijirou as they watched from the deck. "I wonder what's on his mind."

"Has he said anything that would explain this?" The captain asked.

"Uh no." she replied. "He actually doesn't open up to me all that much to be honest."

She glanced over to Seijriou watching Matsuoka pull off his swim cap and pant while the water dripped from his body.

"But I don't think it's anything to worry about." Ai offered with a bright smile. "I'm sure he's fine. He probably went through all sort of tough experiences when he was studying abroad overseas."

The captain glanced across the pool with a pensive stare. "You know when he transferred over here he made no attempts to join the swim team. He had no interest in it. Know any idea why he'd be that way?"

"Ah…n…no…" Ai knew it had something to do with Nanase and his old team, but she couldn't say what exactly it was for sure. "Something probably happened…"

"Well the past can't be changed. No use talking about it now. Fastest swimmer wins. That's all that matters." He looked over at Ai with a stern stare. "You should try beating your time again. Want to get to the next stage right? Do or die." He declared.

"Ah…right." She answered taking to the block while Matsuoka pulled himself up from the pool. She caught a look at his eyes as he toweled himself off. His stroke wasn't the only thing whose fire had been dampened.

* * *

_**The Day Before District** _

'Okay I have that. And that….and that….' She rummaged through her duffel bag while she shuffled forward in the line towards the bus.

"You checked 100 times. You have everything." Rin muttered as he stared over her shoulder. He saw her uneasy stare as she zipped up the bag and glanced up at him.

"Y…yeah. You're right." he heard her murmur and Rin rolled his eyes with a sigh.

"And even if you did forget something your competition is the day after tomorrow. You can just buy it then."

"Ah. That's right. Thank you-senpai." She answered the grip on her bag loosening.

Rin was about to step on the bus when his phone pinged and he opened it up. His maroon eyes glossed over the screen with a solemn stare.

"Bad news?" She questioned worriedly.

He shoved his phone back in his pocket as he boarded the bus. "It's nothing." He replied before he walked toward the back and took a seat.

Ai sat a few rows from her settling next to her own bag before she pulled out a manga. As she opened the cover her own phone rang and she flipped it open. Her blue eyes scanned the screen before a bright smile broke on her face.

"Text from a boyfriend?" Minami asked from the row in front of her with a smirk.

"No…a friend." She replied as her lithe fingers flew over the keys before hitting send.

_**Kou-chan: Let's make nationals together Ai-chan!** _

_**Ai: I know we can! Ganbatte! Thank you!** _

She glanced back over at Rin who was leaning against the window. 'Yeah! I think we can…'

_**A Bus Ride and Dinner Later** _

"Ah…that meal was so good. I wonder if I can have it again tomorrow." Ai commented as she lay back on the hotel bed with a smile as she gazed up at the ceiling. "I like these beds too. They seem comfy. I think you'll be able to get a good nights rest for tomorrow." She sat up as she glanced over at Rin who was sitting at the edge of his own bed.

During dinner at the restaurant he seemed distant more so than he had been. He ate his food silent throughout only giving one worded answers when his relay mates tried to get him into the conversation.

'He'll be okay for tomorrow.' She thought to herself as she watched him stare at his phone with a pensive gaze. She watched as he flipped it open and closed it a few times before he left it open his fingers lingering over the buttons before they deftly typed something out. He waited for a moment before the cell phone beeped of an incoming message. He quickly poured over the text before he stood up.

"I'm going out for a bit." He said.

"Where?" Ai asked.

"I have to take care of something."

"Do…don't' be out too late." He didn't give a reply as he shut the door behind him.

'I wonder what that was about.' She thought as she looked over to the phone. She was tempted to go text Kou to see if she had any clue, but she looked over to the clock with a grimace. 'No it's too late.' She pulled out a manga and lay on the bed as she opened it up. She read the pages with eager eyes but just as she was getting to the climax she was interrupted with a knock.

"Oh come in." Ai answered. She saw bright fiery hair and gold eyes peak in as Seijirou glanced around the room. "Hey Ai where's Matsuoka? I need to talk to him."

"He stepped out for a bit."

"Well tell him to come find me when he gets back."

"What's this about?" Ai asked curiously. "It sounds serious."

Seijirou closed the door and turned leaning against it as he stared sternly at Ai.

"Ai..." she blinked a few times in shock at his utterance of her first name. "Do you think of yourself as part of this team?"

"Oh…um…" She shuffled nervously on the bed. "I mean I…I know officially I'm not really a part of the team…but I…I do like to think I at last contribute something…I think…"

A broad smile broke on his face. "You are part of this team Ai. You've helped me. You've helped pretty much everyone on this team. So no matter officially or unofficially you are a big part of Samezuka."

"Th…thank you Captain." Ai murmured.

"And I was hoping that your earnest way would rub off on Matsuoka."

"What do you mean?"

"He's a great swimmer, but that's just one part of being part of a team. I was skeptical about him wanting to join the relay and I think I was right. He's been ignoring his team and now his times are slowing down in his leg."

"Captian are you pulling him from the relay?" Ai asked shocked.

"Yeah." He responded.

"I just think…I think he's just going through something Captain. I'm pretty sure he could pull through for tomorrow."

"If he's going through something he should tell us, but he doesn't even open up you." Seijirou stated. "And whatever he's going through it's making him lose his focus. I can't let it drag down the team."

"But…"

"You know I'm right Ai. He still has his individual event, but I can't with good conscience as a Captain keep him on the relay team."

Ai gave him a distraught stare before she glanced down at her hands that were curling into her thighs.

"You don't have to be the one to tell him. Just tell him I need to see him when he gets back." Seijirou gently added before he gave her a pat on the shoulder. "And don't let him drag you down either. This is the time for you to focus."

"Ri…right." She replied as she watched the captain give her a smile before he left the room. She brought her hands over her stomach feeling a painful knot forming within the viscera.

_**Sometime later…** _

She glanced worriedly at the clock while the TV blared but her mind was too uneasy to focus on the dialogue. It was background noise between her anxious glances to the clock and to the door.

'Maybe I should just go to sleep…' she thought as she was about to settle into the blankets. 'I wonder if Mikoshiba-senpai will wait till tomorrow to…'

The door clicked open and she saw Rin enter the room. His face was solemn, but the aura he was giving off caused the knot in her stomach to flip.

"Welcome back." She offered with a forced smile as he sat on his bed. 'I wonder if the captain already told him…'

"What's up? You look upset." She added.

"It's nothing." He muttered. "Don't worry about it."

"Have you seen the captain?" She asked. Rin turned to look at her.

"No, why?"

The knot in her stomach only got tighter. "Oh he wanted to talk to you."

Rin sighed before he stood up and trudged out of the room. Ai settled under the blankets as her fingers clenched the sheets worriedly. It seemed like the moment stretched on for eons before the door was harshly slammed open and even more harshly closed. She briefly caught a glimpse of the pure fury on his face before he stormed into the bathroom. Ai grimaced as she heard the sounds of a shower being run. She waited for 20 minutes till she fell asleep to the water still going.

* * *

_**The Next Morning** _

"Matsuoka-senpai…" Ai murmured from the bus aisle. She really didn't know what to do. She had seen him angry. She had seen him surly. But the aura of fury around him was to a level she hadn't seen from him or anyone else. She saw him glowering at the seat in front of him, his duffel bag laying in his lap. The rest of the team had already gotten off, leaving them the last two on the bus.

"Hey…" she offered giving him a smile. "Don't let that get you down. There's always relays at nationals. You know we'll make it there. So just forget about the relay for now and focus on the 100 met…" Rin suddenly stood up with a scowl and stormed past her throwing his duffel bag haphazardly over his shoulder.

'Please…' she thought clenching the strap of her own duffel bag worriedly. 'Please don't let this get you down.'

* * *

Kou peered proudly as she watched the Iwatobi team representing their school in the army of high well toned high school swimmers. 'We're not a big school, but we made it to this stage in the first year.'

"So which one's your brother?" She heard Hana ask beside her.

"Right there with the Samezuka team." She pointed to the black jackets to see Rin among them his had bowed down as the orientation speaker droned on. Her eyes filled with concern recognizing that down trodden look. She recognized that stare whenever she had excitedly asked him how Australia was when he came back from overseas.

She peered across the pool deck managing to find Ai near the Samezuka banner. The look of unease on her face as she glanced at her teammates below made the worry rise in her. When Ai looked across meeting Kou's eyes she offered her a smile and a wave, but Kou could still see the anxious tint in her eyes and the forced nature of her smile.

"Is that Ai-chan?" Hana questioned. "The girl in Samezuka?"

"Yeah." Kou replied as she looked down at her phone resting in her lap. She opened it up wanting to make a call to her to ask if she knew what was going on, but then closed it with a shake of her had. 'I'm sure he'll be fine.' She thought to herself.

* * *

Ai thrummed her fingers nervously against the bullhorn as she watched the first heats of the 100 meter free style conclude. Her eyes widened at the resulting times across the board. 'Just like how it always is. District is a whole other story…' When the third heat was about to begin, she watched as Rin came up to the blocks.

"Come on Big Brother!" She heard Kou's cheer echo across the facility. "You can do it."

'You'll be fine.' Ai thought as he crouched into the starters position. 'You'll do good.'

The signal sounded off. Ai cringed as Rin dove in late already behind when he emerged from the water. 'This isn't good…he's got strong legs but…' he wasn't gaining any ground as the race continued. His form was weak, his rhythm off as he kept frantically swimming. Ai continued to cheer with the rest of Samezuka, but she watched as he came in last. She glanced over to the captain as he had a solemn stare watching as Rin struggled to even pull himself from the pool. She looked across the facility to see the devastated look on his face.

"What's up with him?" Kazuki asked. "It wasn't even close."

"Just lost his focus." The captain muttered. Ai set down her bullhorn and determinedly stood up.

"I'm just going to check up on him." She said.

"Ai remember what I said last night." Seijirou stated firmly. Ai glanced down briefly before she stared unwaveringly at him.

"I…I know. But he still should have someone to cheer him up." She added before she took off down the stairs.

Seijirou took in a breath as he shook his head. 'I don't know if even you can cheer him up.' He thought.

* * *

Ai gave a sigh of relief when she caught sight of Rin walking through the facility.

"Matsuoka-senpai." She called out as she ran towards him. "Where are you going?" he continued walking away and she frantically grasped his shoulder trying to pull him back. "Please." She urged. She felt a glimmer of hope when he finally stopped. "Come back to the group. The rest of us are still cheering." He remained silent so she put a smile on her face.

"You're better than this Senpai. So…it's not your day. So, what?" She offered. "It happens to all of us sometimes, right? It's happened to me a whole lot!" Rin remained unmoving his maroon eyes glowering at the ground. "Hey we all know that race was out of character for you." She continued on with a gentle stare. "It's no big deal. Next time when you're in peak condition you'll easily…."

"Stop it!" He suddenly snapped. "Just stop!" he yelled before he slammed his fist into the vending machine next to them with enough force to cause the drinks inside to jostle. Ai smile immediately fell from her face as she glanced frightfully at Rin. He let the fist fall at his side as the scowl remained unmoved on his face.

"Please." She urged him as she peered around worriedly. "Senpai…Please. You need to calm down. If one of the officials see you like this they'll ban you from competing. So just calm down and get it together."

"You don't get it!" he snapped. All the rage he was feeling was suddenly bursting out and he couldn't stop it. The disappointment in himself. All the dreams of his past crumbling around him. He knew it wasn't Ai fault, but for some reason he couldn't stop as he let his anger out on her.

This girl who somehow held on to her dreams with an unwavering smile on her face and a cheerful attitude. The girl who tried her hardest on the swim team and was now just trying to cheer him up. Her very nature a harsh reminder of how worthless he was now.

"Do you think any of this matters anymore?" he continued on as she flinched at his tone. "It's obvious I couldn't get any better. That's why I was taken off the relay. I give up! I quit years ago and I should have stayed quit!" he turned giving an angry kick to the trashcan that caused its contents to spill. He stared at Ai and he almost recoiled at the scared look as she stared fearfully at the dented trash can then to him. He felt a bubble of regret burst in his chest realizing that he was the reason behind that panicked gaze. That realization caused him to stuff his hands in his pockets and storm off.

"Senpai please…" Ai pleaded after him. She watched as he continued undeterred. She took in a shaky breath before she turned her head seeing the swimmers of Iwatobi staring with shocked faces at the scene before them.

'Did they see everything?' she thought before she shook herself of the thought more concerned with Rin as she took off after him. 'No he can't give up….'

"Senpai…Senpai." She called out. She stared around anxiously before she caught sight of him again carrying the duffel bag over hIS shoulder. "Senpai…" she frantically began. "You can't quit. You have so much talent. You'll do good next year. You still have a chance to make your dream. So please don't give up on your dream…" But Rin didn't even meet her gaze as he exited the facility.

She stared down at the floor before she walked over to a bench and sat down bringing her knees to her chest before she rested her forehead on them with a whine. 'I'm sorry Kou-chan.' She thought disappointingly. 'I tried…'

She heard the cries of her teammates cheering on the school echo through the facility hallways. 'I should go back…'

"Ai-chan?" Her head perked up from her legs to see Kou staring at her with concerned eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She replied.

Kou offered her a small smile before she took a seat on the bench next to her. "You're a bad liar Ai."

"I'm sorry." She murmured. "I tried to calm down your brother, but I…I think I made it worse. The reason he's so angry is…"

"Because he got removed from the relay." Kou finished as she gazed down at her lap. "I saw in the program."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It's not your fault. I think he just really wanted to swim with Nanase again." Kou murmured. "And now…I think he just needs to cool off for a bit."

"You sound so sure." Ai murmured. "You're not worried?"

Kou remained silent for a bit in a pensive stare. "I've known him longer than the others. I know my brother loves swimming. More so than anything else. It's his dream." Kou answered putting a smile on her face. "So, I'm holding on to that hope."

'I guess I can too…' Ai thought before she stood up. "I should get back to my team." Ai replied. "Good luck in the relay."

"Thanks." Kou replied with a small smile. "And I think he'll be okay so don't look so worried."

Ai walked back to the Samezuka cheer section. She had a hope that maybe Rin had changed his mind and come back, but she didn't see him in the sea of black shirts.

"Hey Nitori. How's Matsuoka?" Seijirou asked.

"He's really upset." She replied taking a seat next to him.

"He'll cool off." Seijirou said with a shrug before patting her back a few times. "So don't worry about it. You can't win them all."

Ai took the bullhorn in her hands giving a few nods before she threw herself back into cheering for her teammates.

* * *

'Iwatobi's relay is up next.' Ai thought as she glossed over the program. She glanced over surprised to see the mix of jackets but not seeing the Iwatobi team on deck. 'Where are they?' she thought glancing across the deck to see Kou anxiously talking with Amakata-sensei as they peered around probably thinking the same thought as her. Finally she saw a relieved smile break out on Kou's face. Ai stared back to the pool seeing the Iwatobi team trot out mixing with the other swimmers before they lined up on the blocks. The backstroke swimmers fell into the water crouching down as they gripped the handles before the signal went off. As the raucous cheers broke out she saw Shouta tilt his head.

"Is it me or does their butterfly swimmer look like Matsuoka?"

Ai followed his gaze before her blue eyes widened in shock.

"That is Matsuoka!" Toru added stunned.

"What is he doing?" Ai exclaimed as he took the block after Nagisa took off.

"Bastard lost his mind!" Seijrou said before he looked to Ai. "Did you know he was going to do something crazy like this."

"No!" Ai replied looking across to see Kou with the same look of shock on her face. 'I guess you didn't either.' She surmised as she stared back at Rin.

'But he looks so excited.' She thought seeing a broad grin on his face as he watched Nagisa flow through the water before he put on his goggles crouching down.

"Go big brother!" Kou cheered as he dove and then broke out of the water.

'There it is!' Ai thought excitedly as she watched him swim that dynamic stroke. It was robust and swift with all of his fire behind it. 'That's his stroke.'

"Look at him go." Seijirou commented.

"GO MATSUOKA!" She cheered. She saw the curious stares of her teammates around her.

"What are you doing?" Shouta asked.

"He's still a part of this team, isn't he?" Ai replied as she watched Rin come in letting Nanas dive. Haru deftly took off quickly putting them in the lead. She watched as the Iwatobi team along with Rin cheering him on as he came in on the last leg. Nanase slammed his hand along the wall and emerged from the water panting while the results came on the board.

'They won.' She thought excitedly as she watched Makato pull Haru from the water; broad smiles on his and Nagisa's faces. She then saw Rin come over smothering Haru in a hug. Makato and Nagisa cheerfully joined in and her mind thought back to elementary school when she witnessed a very similar scene. And like before his eyes were bright and his smile wide. I'm glad you're finally happy.' She thought looking over to see Kou with a contented smile and shimmering eyes. 'I'm glad you both are.'

"Wow. They beat one of the best teams in the district." Toru commented.

"Yeah….too bad it doesn't really count. I mean there is no way the judges are going to let that stand. Right?" Kazuki asked.

"Hey what about Matsuoka, Captain. What are you going to do about him?" Shouta questioned to Seijirou.

The captain shrugged. "Well we have to cheer on our teammates for the other events. I'll deal with him after."

Ai gave an anxious look toward him, but continued to cheer on for the next event.

* * *

**_After the rest of the events_ **

The Samezuka swimmers gathered with the captain as he stared at the exit of the facility.

"There he is." Seijirou said as Rin emerged from the facility. "Matsuoka! Over here now!" he barked.

Rin came over as Ai nervously grasped her duffel bag while the rest of the rest of the Samezuka team looked on curiously.

"So that was quite a stunt you pulled." The captain stated firmly as he had his arms crossed while he glowered at Rin. "You got anything to say about that?"

Rin gave a deep bow his face solemn. "I'm sorry sir. I take full responsibility. I should be kicked off the team."

"Does it have to be like that?" Ai asked nervously.

Rin stood up and looked regretfully towards her. "Nitori. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"Hey it's no big deal." Ai responded. Rin wanted to shake his head at her quick forgiving demeanor. "You were having a bad day. We can't just kick you off the team because of it."

"It's not up to you." Seijriou interrupted with a resolved tone his eyes still fixated on Rin. "Because last I checked your fate is in the hands of the team captain."

Rin gave a resigned stare as he gazed at Seijirou whose gold eyes still held a concrete glare. "So…as long as you swim for us like you swam for your buddies today we're good." He broke out into a broad smile at Rin's shocked face. "Alright guys pack it up and let's pack it up and head home." Seijirou said ushering the swimmers on the bus.

Rin stood stunned as the rest of the Samezuka swimmers filed on to the bus.

"Come on Matsuoka-senpai. They might leave without us." Ai stated cheerfully as she tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"Nitori…" Rin murmured. She peered up at him with bright blue eyes. "Thanks."

"Ah…for what?" She asked unsurely. Rin didn't say anything as he rubbed the back of his neck with an embarrassed stare. "Just thanks." He muttered before he took a seat. Ai took a seat in the row in front him. The bus passed through the city the skies darkening overhead before it stopped in front of the hotel they were staying at.

'Why are we stopping back here?' Rin thought as he watched Ai stand up with her duffel bag slung over her shoulder. 'Did she forget something?'

"Okay guys!" Seijirou declared as he stood up with a grin. "We got to take off but remember that our Nitori is competing tomorrow in the women's events. Sadly, the school won't pay for all of us to stay another night. So. get a good night's sleep Nitori and we'll be here to cheer you on tomorrow."

"You don't…" she began embarrassingly.

"Well we are." Seijirou interrupted as he playfully ruffled her hair. "So you'll have us rooting for you tomorrow whether you like it or not." She beamed at her teammates as she waved, the rest of the team giving her well wishes while she exited the bus.

* * *

_**Later that night** _

Ai fretted as she tossed and turned in the bed. She was ecstatic about what happened with Matsuoka-senpai earlier, but now the knot in her stomach was back with worry about her own events tomorrow.

She jolted the beep of her phone breaking her out of her thoughts. She opened it up seeing a message and her eyes widened at the sender.

'Matsuoka-senpai?' she thought.

_**Matsuoka-senpai: Go to sleep. You'll do fine.** _

_**Ai: How do you know I wasn't already asleep?** _

_**Matsuoka-senpai: Because I know you Ai, so go to sleep. You'll do good tomorrow.** _

Ai almost dropped the phone in shock. 'He…he called me by first name.' she thought before she gave a warm smile her fingers flying back over the keys.

_**Ai: Thank you Senpai. Good night.** _

Rin glanced over at his own phone screen with a smirk as he shook his head.

"What do you look so happy about?" Shouta asked from his seat on the bus. "You texting someone special."

"Yeah." Rin replied before he shoved the phone back into his hoodie pocket and leaned against the window. "A friend."


	15. Watery Lungs and Chlorine Tears Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now it's Ai's turn to take to the block.

**_Hope you all enjoy and thanks to all who left kudos!_ **

* * *

_'I want to move….' She thought drowsily. 'I need to move…so why…can't…I'_

_She felt the pressure of the water smother her as her body fell to the bottom once more. Her eyes blinked hazily as she tried to bring any part of her muscles to move, but the only thing she felt was the wisps of her hair dancing near her face._

_She could hear the thud of her heartbeat in her ears slowing. The pound gradually becoming softer and softer. Her eyes were about to close ready to accept her fate at the bottom of the ocean when something darted across her face. It was as if all her muscles received a harsh jolt that caused her body to awaken all at once. She managed to upright herself only to see sharpened teeth rushing towards her._

_She gave a harsh cry a flurry of bubbles coming from her mouth, but instead of digging into her body the sharpened teeth had flown right by her face. She caught the glisten of gray as it rounded by again. Her blue eyes widened in shock when she finally saw that the sharpened teeth were owned by a shark._

_She could only stare as the shark looped back towards her to dart past her again. She stared curiously as it paused a moment maroon eyes surveying her before it came charging at her once more._

_Something instinctual caused her to latch on to its fin as it darted past her again. The water rushed past and she felt the tug on her arm as the shark pulled her hard toward the surface. When she finally broke through the water's edge she saw the blue blanket of the ocean stretched out before her, the waves shimmering in the sun. She felt the shark slink past her legs and then swim off it's fin peeking out from the waters edge as it headed toward the horizon._

_"W...wait…" she called out as she began to swim towards it, but a harsh blare of a nearby boat broke her out of her thoughts._

Her blue eyes burst open and she jolted up. She cringed as she reached over shutting off the alarm blaring on her cell phone. "Ah...oh…" she brushed her fingers through her bed head with a grimace as she tried to shake the drowsiness from her. 'That...that was weird.' she thought thinking of the shark she was chasing through the ocean. She blinked a few times as her consciousness tried to unravel what her subconscious just threw out for her before her eyes fell on the clock.

'I need to get ready.' She thought with a gulp thinking of the day ahead. 'Wish me luck Grandpa.'

* * *

Rin's eye twitched in annoyance at the guys arguing in front of a floral stand as the shopkeeper stared stunned at the crowd of men in front of her shop having a debate about flowers. 'Just pick one damnit.' he thought irritatingly. 'She'll probably be happy you got her anything.'

"All girls like roses! It's universal." Minami stated gesturing to the said flower.

"I don't know Ai seems like the type to like carnations." Toru replied holding a bundle of pink carnations up. "Plus with the money we pooled together we can get a huge bouquet of carnations."

"Of course some loser like you would choose quantity over quality. I say tulips. She seems like a spring." Shouta bounced back which caused a whole other argument to burst out as some other teammates put their own comments.

"You aren't going to break this up?" Rin asked the captain who was perusing the flowers with a carefree smile.

"As long as they're not breaking anything or each other I say, 'Let it pass.'" Seijirou stated with a shrug. "Hey Matsuoka, just out of curiosity what kind of flower does your sister like?"

Rin was about to bark something out about how the captain didn't need to know that information or anything about his baby sister, but he stopped when he saw a familiar figure depart from the train. "Gou?"

"Gou?!" Seijriou turned around excitedly following Rin's gaze. "Gou!" he began to wave eagerly as the Iwatobi manager walked towards them.

"I told you it's Kou!" she huffed to Seijirou before offering Rin a cheerful smile and smothering him with a hug. "Hi big brother."

"Hey…" he gave her a small hug back. "Why are you here Gou?"

She pulled away with a slight smirk on her face. "Same thing as you. I'm going to cheer for Ai. Isn't that why you're here?"

"Yeah…hey you're friends with her right?" Seijirou asked. "Do you know what her favorite flower is?"

"Of course I do." Gou replied. "Daisies."

"Daisies?" Seijirou asked disbelievingly. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. The white ones." She affirmed. "Those are her favorite although I'm sure she'd be happy you got her any type of flower."

'Yep…' Rin thought to himself.

"Alright." Seijirou stated as he walked to the rest of the Samezuka team still in mid argument. "Hey guys break it up! We're getting daisies!" he barked.

"That's nice of you all." Gou stated. "I think they're going to make her really happy."

"I think she'd be happier if she actually made it to the next stage." He surveyed his sister. "Do you know anything about her chances?"

"Yeah I caught some information when I was checking out the other schools for the guys."

"So? Do they look good?" Rin asked curiously.

"The 200 meter is iffy even with her personal best. If she's going to make it to nationals it'll be with the 400 meter probably." Kou replied back. "I think she can make it there."

Rin gave a curt nod as Seijirou came back with a bouquet of daisies in his hand.

"Those look really nice." Gou commented.

"Yeah…hey Gou just out of curiosity what's your favorite…?" Seijriou was interrupted by the churn of the train coming into the station.

"Hey Gou sit by me. We need to catch up." Rin said as he boarded on the train with Gou eagerly following behind. Seijriou gave a disappointed sigh trudging after them.

* * *

'Okay…' She adjusted the straps on her swimsuit before she looped the goggles over her neck. 'You can do this.' She thought as she slammed her locker shut. She felt her body brim to the tingle with nerves and her stomach doing back flips.

"That's so cute." A familiar voice broke out. "Even now you still get nervous." Ai glanced over her blue eyes widening when she was met with familiar warm brown eyes and long brown hair.

"Yazaki-senpai?" She stated stunned.

"Ai…you can call me Rumi." The girl replied before pulling Ai into a hug. "It's so good to see you. How have you been? Haven't seen you since elementary."

"Ah…good. How about you?" she asked as Rumi pulled away.

"Great. I got accepted into Mizu which is pretty good academy. Where are you at?" Rumi tilted her head as she surveyed Ai's jacket. "I don't recognize that print. Is that from a new school or something?"

"It's from a boy's academy isn't that hilarious?" another boisterous voice broke in. The two girls turned to see Pan bouncing toward them. "Hi Rumi! Hi Ai."

"Hey Pan…and boys academy?" Rumi repeated. "You're at a boy's academy?"

"It was a mix up with my name." Ai answered bashfully.

"Oh well I guess you're not doing relays anymore then huh?" Rumi stated with a sigh. "Well are you still doing the endurance events?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah….200 meter and 400 meter freestyle. What about you?"

"100 meter free style, 400 meter medley relay and 400 meter freestyle relay." Rumi replied putting a hand over chest. "I was worried I would have to compete against you, Ai."

"But you just get to compete against me and my team!" Pan said looping an arm over Rumi's shoulders with a smirk before she let out an excited gasp. "If we all make it to the next stage that would be amazing! You, me, Ai and Mana!"

"That would be nice." Rumi affirmed. "And I need to get going. Good luck out there guys."

"You too!" Pan stated as Ai gave a wave.

"That's so great that she's still doing relays." Ai murmured.

"Yeah no one pulls a team together like her." Pan commented.

'Yeah…' Ai thought happily.

* * *

"Perfect!" Gou exclaimed giving a thumbs up which Seijirou returned with an overly energetic smile and a thumbs up of his own from the bleachers. She looked up at Rin who was standing next to her. "Ai must mean a lot to you if you're all coming out to cheer for her on your day off."

"She cheers for us. It's only fair."

"You know you can say she means something to you." Gou replied with a smirk.

"I never said she didn't." Rin replied moodily. "She's a good friend."

"Just a friend?" his sister asked coyly.

"And a teammate…" he added wondering why his sister had such a sly look on her face.

"Hey Gou get up here. I saved you a seat!" Seijirou called out to the two below interrupting the conversation.

* * *

'Okay….okay….okay….' Ai willed herself to calm down as she came out with the other swimmers through the tunnel. The sun blared down when they finally came out onto the pool deck and raucous cries from the crowd surrounded them. Ai gave a bright smile seeing the Samezuka banner hanging down from the bleachers as the Samezuka team chanted her name. Some of the girls peered curiously at the crowd of just men wearing a similar jacket before looking at her their eyes lingering on her chest and then downward to her groin.

"You go to Samezuka?" one swimmer asked. "And you're a girl?"

"Mmmhmm." Ai answered as she popped her swim cap on.

"Are they accepting any other girls?" One asked excitedly.

"Um...probably not." Ai murmured.

"Swimmers take your mark." The announced called out.

Ai felt relieved as she sloughed off the jacket and sweatpants to take to the block.

"Go Nitori!"

"Bring it home Nitori."

"Go Ai-chan." Gou shouted.

Ai felt her heart flutter at the praise, but her insides clench as she crouched into the starters stance.

'Watch that bend in your legs.' Rin thought as he watched her settle into the position. 'She doesn't look too bad compared to the others.'

'Good start….keep the pace for the first few laps.' he watched Ai flow through the water, keeping stride with three other girls. One girl trailed behind putting Ai on par with the top three.

"Atta girl Nitori!" Seijirou yelled out among the cheers of the Samezuka boys.

'Good…' Rin watched another girl lose her steam allowing Nitori to pull ahead on the second lap. 'Now pick it up.'

"She in front of another other girl." Kazumi stated excitedly as Ai pulled ahead on another turn, her legs and arms becoming a flurry on the last stretch.

"Come on Nitori!" Rin shouted over the guys cheers.

He stared as she was narrowly pulled ahead of one girl and within a fingers grasp of another at the last 25 meters. Eventually she was head to head in first all of Samezua watching as both of the girls hands came flailing towards the finishing mat.

"Damn that was hard to call." Toru muttered as the rest of the academy glanced anxiously at the board. The names rolled out followed by a flash with the results.

Ai panted heavily as she kept blinking, trying to keep the water out of her eyes while she stared at the board nervously. Her head bowed with a defeated sigh when she saw the number 2 next to her name.

"That was close." the girl in the lane next to her muttered before she surveyed Ai. "You're a first year?"

"Mmhmm." Ai murmured.

The girl held up a hand with a soft smile. "Nice race."

Ai gave the girl a high five before she looked to her team. "Nice job Nitori!" Seijirou called out as the rest of the team gave her a raucous cheer.

* * *

'You still have the 400 meter…' she thought to herself as she sipped her Pocari Sweat as she sat back in the bleachers with Samezuka.

"You okay?" Gou asked from next to her.

"Yeah we both knew the 400 was my best chance anyway." Ai replied finishing her drink and offering her friend a cheery smile. "Just glad I got a bit of a rest break."

"Super close Nitori and a personal best." Seijirou stated giving her hair a tousle. "You did us proud."

"Thank you Captain." She murmured. "Oh look the 400 meter relay medley. Kou-chan those are my old teammates."

"Where?" Gou asked curiously as even Rin leaned forward.

"That's Pan." Ai pointed out to the tall blonde bouncing up and down on her toes as her teammates talked.

"She's pretty tall." Shouta commented. "Backstroke or butterfly?"

"Backstroke." Ai answered. "Although she has a sister who does butterfly. And there's Rumi Yazaki." She pointed to her brown haired friend as she energetically talked to her teammates giving them encouraging smiles. "She was the one who organized the relay I was in during elementary."

"She looks confident." Gou replied. "And her teammates seem like they look up to her."

"She is and they should. She has this knack of making you feel like your worthwhile and she inspires you…"

"Do you miss doing relays?" Gou questioned interested seeing the way Ai had a wistful smile on her face as she was talking about her past teammates.

"A little. I only did one in elementary. In middle school my 100 meter times were never fast enough, but I did like being a part of something bigger."

"I get it." The Iwatobi manager replied as the girls taking part in the relay took to the block.

* * *

_ **Back in the locker room** _

"Damn it Rumi! That was so freaking close." Pan whined as she slammed her locker shut.

"Well if it makes you feel better you did better than our backstroke swimmer. Plus you're making nationals anyway." Rumi offered.

"True…but still I wanted my team to win." Pan added sigh and a shake of her head before turning to look to Ai. "Hey Ai your heat's up next right? You better make it!"

"Ah…oh" Ai stammered before Rumi lightly rapped her on the head. "Don't psyche yourself out. Pan's kidding. Just do your best out there like you always do."

"Thanks Rumi." She said giving her former teammate a grateful smile.

"Ganbatte!" Pan called out as Ai headed away from the swimmers area.

* * *

"Ai's heat is next." Shouta declared.

'She looks nervous.' Rin thought as he saw Ai coming out onto the pool deck again with the rest of the girls in her heat.

"400 freestyle heat 3 take your marks." Ai settled onto the block as she stared down at the tool tinted pink by her goggles.

The beep went off and Ai hurled herself forward.

"Good dive." Toru commented.

'Nice now find your rhythm.' Rin thought.

The pace was gradual each of the swimmers keeping on par on the first few laps, but the momentum was slowly building with each turn.

At the 200 meter mark some girls lost steam leaving Ai and two other girls in front.

"She's doing good." Gou commented as they watched Ai picking up momentum and pass another girl.

"She's in first." Seijirou exclaimed excitedly. "She's got this!"

"Shit that girl in the lane next to her is kicking it up too." Shouta said.

* * *

Ai lungs were burning as she felt the water surge around her. 'Keep going…keep going…keep…' her blue eyes widened as she a shark swim past her followed by another…and then another. A whole bevy of sharks were swimming by her in an array of colrs, sizes and shapes and then darting off leaving her behind in a cloud of bubbles.

"No don't leave me behind again." She thought anxiously as she frantically willed her muscles to power forward as she tried to catch up to the pool of sharks.

* * *

She smacked the pools edge and came up with a strangled breath. She whirled her head to the board, her blue eyes looking anxiously along with the rest of the girls in her meet. 'Please...please…'

Ai saw the names flash and once again her eyes saw the number 2 next to her name.

"Damn it. That literally a half of second difference." Shouta said.

"She got another personal best." Seijirou added. "She should be proud."

They watched as Ai pulled herself from the water before she gave a wave and a smile to her teammates in the bleachers.

"You got to love that about her though. It's like nothing gets her down." Toru commented as the guys gave her cheers.

As Rin clapped he wasn't so sure that she was totally okay with how her eyes had a bit of the sparkle dimmed.

* * *

"Ai that was great." Rumi said next to her on a locker room bench while Ai was toweling off her hair. "Nail biter right to the end."

"I…I still lost."

"Only by a fraction of a second." Rumi saw the slight disappointment in her eyes. She shook her head with a smile putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Ai this is just the start. You'll be there next year."

"You think so?" Ai asked pulling the towel from her head. "You're not just saying that?"

"I know so." Rumi declared. "So don't give up okay?"

"O…okay. Thank you Rumi." She said.

Ai emerged from the facility to see Samezuka team around the entrance.

"Nice job Nitori!" The captain declared.

"And we got you these as a congrats." Minami held up the bouquet of daisies.

"Thank you." Ai declared. "And thank you for coming out. I'm so…"

"You better be saying you're so happy because you did great Nitori. Down to the wire on both. You did Samezuka proud." Seijirou cut her off. Ai smiled towards him before she looked at the daisies in her arms.

"Thank you. Thank you everyone. Now let's go back home."

Rin watched as she chatted with Gou and the rest of the group along the train ride home. He saw the bright smile still on her face, but it was her eyes that told him how she was really feeling.

* * *

"i wish I had a vase for you." Ai murmured to the daises when they came back to their dorm room.

"I'm surprised you don't with all the stuff you have." Rin commented.

"I guess I'll just use my water bottle." Ai surmised as she made a space for them on her cluttered desk. Rin watched as she stuffed the daisies in the red plastic container before she idly arranged them.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Y...yeah." Ai replied forcing a smile on her face. "I had two personal best so I'm... I'm okay."

Rin saw the shimmer in her eyes and the slightest of tremble in her smiles.

"It's okay to be upset." He saw her eyes falter as she looked down to the floor. He thought she wasn't going to say anything till her heard the softest voice from her.

"It's stupid…." Rin watched as she put a hand over her mouth, her eyes welling up. "I did my best and that's the closest I ever gotten but..." He stared as the tears fell down her cheeks.

"Hey…" he watched as a sob shook her body as she closed her eyes shaking her head. "I'm sorry…" she apologized.

He rolled his eyes before he took a step toward her.

'I shouldn't cry.' Ai thought. 'I need to…' her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a pair of toned arms gently wrap around her and her face pressed into a well worn shirt.

"You try to be too happy sometimes you know that." She heard him rumble and felt the weight of Rins head resting on top of hers. "It's okay to be upset. It just means it meant a lot to you."

Rin felt her nod against his chest as a few softer cries escaped. He gently rubbed up and down her back till eventually the tears eventually stopped.

"And you'll definitely make it there next year." Rin added. He felt Ai pull away from him till her face met his; the smallest of smiles on her face as she sniffed.

"We both will right?" She asked. Rin let out a small chuckle at the cheer back in her eyes.

"Yeah definitely so how about we watch one of your sappy romance movies to unwind for today."

"Really?" Ai asked excitedly as she went over to her cabinets.

"Yeah why not?" Rin asked with a shrug as he settled on the bottom bunk.

"Can it be an anime one?" She asked holding up one hopefully.

"Don't push your luck Ai." He said with a whine.

Ai almost dropped the dvd she had clutched in her hand as she stared at Rin. It was one thing to see him call her by her first name on a text, but it was completely different to hear it coming from his mouth.

"What…why are you looking at me like that?" He asked confusd.

"Ah….nothing Senpai." She shook herself from her happy thought as she held up a dvd and her dvd player. "How about this one? It's about a girl who has the ability to see demons and falls in love but then she gets captured by an nefarious priestess to be a sacrifice to an evil diety."

"How is that romantic?"

"Well her true love teams up with her spirit guardian to rescue her." Ai popped it into the dvd player.

"Have you seen it?" Rin asked.

"No Mitz recommended it to me. I hope it's not too much of a horror film…sometimes he likes to trick me like that."

"He likes horror?" Rin asked.

"Oh he loves it…" She answered as the movie began while the two teens watched.

"Thank you Rin-Senpai." Ai murmured as she drew up her knees to her chest with a smile as the opening credits began.

He glanced down at her. "For what?" he asked.

"Just thanks." She chimed as she looked back to the movie.

* * *

_ **Some time later** _

"Thank you for letting us come to this joint practice." Makato thanked Ai as Iwatobi team came up to the gates of Samezuka Academy. Ai and Rin were in front to greet them still dressed in their school summer uniforms.

"Oh it's no problem." Ai answered as she looked to the Iwatobi manager. "Hi Kou-chan."

"Hey Ai I have a question." Gou leaned in and whispered something in Ai's ear who gave a nod and a smile. "Yeah I'll show you!" she chimed nodding toward the school.

"Where are you two going?" Rin asked as they began walking away.

"Girl stuff." Gou replied. "Just wait here."

"Actually we'll go with you. We want to do something with Rin-chan." Nagisa exclaimed latching hold to the shark tooth swimmers arm.

"What?" Rin asked annoyed as the bouncing blonde began dragging him through the school doorway while the rest of the team followed.

"Do you know what they're going to do with him?" Ai asked as the two girls watched Rin get dragged and pushed through the hallway the Iwatobi team ignoring his protests.

"No." Gou answered with a smile. "But I'm sure it's nothing bad. Now is there a girls restroom here or…?"

"Oh no I have to use the faculties bathroom but it's this way…"

* * *

_ **A bathroom trip later** _

"Great where did they go?" Gou asked grumpily as they wandered the halls looking for the team. "The practice is going to start soon."

"I'm sure we'll find them." Ai replied happily.

"You know Ai I never did thank you." Gou said while they were walking among the classrooms.

"Thank me for what?"

"For being there for my brother."

"Oh…I don't think I did as much as you think I did." Ai replied bashfully. "You were the big help there. If you didn't sign up the Iwatobi team for the relay Rin-Senpai wouldn't have found his passion for swimming again."

Gou's burgundy eyes widened at Ai. "Did you just call him…"

"Ah shut up guys. You're the one's putting me up to whatever the hell this is!"

The two girls jumped at the very familiar angry voice. Gou rolled her eyes as she came up to the classroom door and opened it with an annoyed glare.

Rin stood in front of the classroom his name on the chalkboard while he scowled at the Iwatobi team who were scattered across the classroom sitting in various desks.

"Hey what are you guys messing around for." Gou snapped irritated.

"Our joint practice is about to start in a few minutes." Ai added concerned.

"Rin you're too old to be playing around like this." Gou added putting her hands on her hips as she shot her older brother a dissatisfied stare.

"But they're the one's who are…" Rin started before he stared at his sister's angry face. He gave a sigh of defeat while he rubbed the back of his neck. "Never mind." He mumbled.

"Well best get going." Makato said standing up from his desk with a smile.

"High time to show those that were too quick to judge me from our first session that I am in fact not a rock." Rei declared pushing the glasses up his face confidently.

"Your butterfly better be good man." Rin replied smugly. "Cause it's takes more than fancy smack talk to impress the Samezuka boys."

"Sounds like you want a race." Nagisa added excitedly with a wink.

"You'll never beat us." Rin stated with a smirk. "You better bring it. Haru come on let's get moving." He called to his friend who had remained silent in the back of the room. Haru stood up and followed after.

"Come on let's get going!" Nagisa declared before taking off the rest of his team and Rin following behind in a sprint.

"We go through the trouble of finding them and then they take off!" Gou whined as she watched the boys run.

"It's fine." Ai said with a smile while they continued to walk after them. "We'll get there in time."

"It's going to be fun to see what will happen though…" Gou commented.

"You mean in practice?" Ai asked.

"No I mean…"

"Hey let's get going!" Nagisa hollered back at the girls. "You're making us late."

"Only because you made us late." Gou snapped back as she began to jog followed by Ai.

'I meant in the future.' Kou thought as she ran alongside her friend with a smile. 'It's should be exciting to see what should come.'

* * *

**_Thankfully this isn't the end yet. Got so many more ideas for the time between now and the start of the second season. The maid cafe, halloween, christmas, drama and drama cd stuff. Should be fun so please stay posted._ **


	16. Fr!Fr! Special 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Extra tidbits to enjoy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to all who read and left kudos and a big ol' shoutout to J_L_Hynde for the kudos and bookmark those mean so much to me. Hope you like.

**__ **

* * *

**Fr!Fr! Special Number 1**

_Just little tidbits that I couldn't really fit into the story so hope you enjoy. Slightly inspired by the Fr!Fr! extras and drama cd's._

* * *

**Fr!Fr1**

**Privacy Please!**

_Rin and Ai's dorm room_

"You really need to clean up."

"I did." Ai replied looking up from her book as Rin towered over her shoulder. "I tidied up."

"No you didn't! You just put piles together that are about to topple over." Rin snapped back.

"Don't get so mad." She whined as she stood up from her desk and looked at Rin defensively. "They're organized piles."

Rin sighed as he ran a hand through his hair glancing at the mess of miscellaneous toys, papers, books and other mish mash that had resided upon the warzone that Ai called a desk.

"Do you really need all this junk?" Rin asked. "There has to be some things you can get rid of."

A somber expression came on Ai's face as she stood by Rin staring at her desk. "But all of these things hold precious memories of mine. Like this." She said picking up a battered cat plushie. "This is the first toy Kyo and Ryo gave me when I was growing up. They won it from a crane game and couldn't decide who would keep it so they let me have it. And this…"

She set the plushie down and picked up a book with a dolphin and a shark decorating the cover. She opened it up with a broad smile flipping through the pages. "This is my favorite children's book. Me and Mitsukuni would read it every other night when we were kids when we weren't reading his favorite children's book." She set it a top a high tower of books and by some grace of god it didn't cause it to topple over.

"You have stuff like that too don't you?" She asked looking up at Rin. "Stuff full of memories you can't throw away." Her bright eyes stared up at him with that unwavering look and he sighed while he glanced back at the clutter. His maroon eyes noticed a velvet box sticking out among some papers. He picked it up staring curiously at it.

"What's this?" he asked holding it in the palm of his hand.

"That's my most favorite item." Ai chirped.

Rin opened the box as his brow arched staring at a silver heart locket. "A locket?"

Ai stood up from her desk as she daintily pulled the locket from the box and held it in the palm of her hand. "My grandpa gave this to me." She murmured as her fingernail pried it open.

"It seems like it might be worth a lot so why bring it with you?"

"Because…it's just a way of keeping him close by." She softly murmured.

Rin eye's glanced at the picture of seeing a toddler Ai, her hair cut in a ridiculously short bob with uneven bangs, her blue eyes bright as her arms were wrapped around an elderly man. He had eyes that mirrored hers and grey hair that was clean kept, his smile cheerful. "I only get to visit his shrine and his grave when I go home, and this is my way of keeping him near me."

"You were really close to him, weren't you?"

Ai gave a few nods as she snapped the locket shut placing it back in the velvet box. "He was actually the one who taught me to swim. He was a swimmer in his college days. He tried to get my brothers into it, but they preferred other sports. I was the only one who really took to the water like he did."

"He passed away?" Rin asked.

"Heart attack…" she answered somberly her fingertips still lingering at the top of the box. "We spread some of his ashes near the ocean. I just like having this close by in case I ever miss him."

"I get that…" he murmured putting a hand on her shoulder. "But do you need all this other crap?!" he said gesturing back to the desk.

"It all means something!" she replied back.

"Like this…?" he stated picking up a random book from the pile causing it to teeter over.

"Senpai I had that organized!" she whined.

"How!" he snapped as both went to their knees to gather the mess of books on the floor.

"This was all things I need to read." Ai answered as she started loading the books in her arms. "Things I need to study."

"Fine…but I could help you organize your book like these can probably go over in that shelf…" he stated shoving the books into a closet. "And this…" he stopped picking up a pink book. Ai's eyes went wide and her cheeks turned a bright red deeper than a pomegranate as Rin turned over the cover with a confused stare. He glanced briefly at the hearts decorating the cover and then to the picture of two men on the front in a tight embrace, one had his hands dipping into the pants of the other as they both had their lips nearly locked. His mind almost went blank when he finally noticed the title of 'Porny Heaven Presents: Ero Ero Paradise!'

There was a long awkward silence between the two as Rin stared at the cover stunned before he finally came out of it.

"Keep that under your bed." He snapped tossing it at her.

"Right sorry…sorry sorry…" Ai managed to catch it and scrambled over to her bunk. She hurriedly shoved the book under the mattress with so much force her mattress curled under while she gave a bow. "Sorry."

Rin shook his head as he tried to fight down a blush of his own coming across his cheeks. "Let's just…let's just get the rest of your crap organized."

"Okay." Ai murmured but the red blush still tinted her cheeks and her embarrassment made her wish the floor would swallow her whole.

Thankfully the topic wasn't brought up throughout the rest of the clean up and they got to study together in an amicable silence.

* * *

**The Next Day**

Ai found herself alone in her dorm room with a thought as she glanced at Rin's bed

'Matsuoka-senpai told me to keep the book under my mattress. Does he have a book like that under his bed If he's anything like Kyo and Ryo it's probably just gravure magazines, but…' she wondered as she grasped the edge tempted to pull the corner up. She lingered there for a moment before she let the padding fall. 'No…I should respect his privacy.' She thought.

**Sometime later that day**

'She's into this?' Rin thought as he flipped through the pages. He knew he should probably respect Ai's privacy and leave it be, but he expected Ai to have some dirty romance novel or maybe some racy pictures of male athletes not some yaoi comic. Curiosity got the better of him and he found himself finding the book under his mattress. 'Why is she into this?'

" _I just wish you could see what I see!" one character with glasses claimed to his smaller companion who had his head bent down tears flowing down his cheeks. "You're more than enough."_

Rin tsked as he shook his head flipping forward a few pages. 'Really cheesy maybe it is a novel…' he flipped through a few more pages before his eyes fell on a graphic image of male naked bodies and he slammed the book shut. 'Definitely not a romance novel.'

With that he realized it was better to respect the privacy and put the book under the mattress.

* * *

**Fr!Fr!2**

**Private Matters and Bruised Egos**

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Ai cried out.

"You said that for the millionth time." Rin growled out from the infirmary bed an ice pack over his nose.

"But I really am sorry." She apologized again with a bow.

"What the hell were you doing anyway?" Rin asked angrily.

** Earlier that day **

Ai gave a sigh as she came into the dorm room. Anxiety about her upcoming exam kept her up all night, but she believed she managed to pass. She blinked drowsily and gave a yawn as she looked at the clock on her desk.

'I got a little bit of time before practice starts…I'm just going to take a nap…' she thought climbing into her bunk. As she fumbled for her phone to set an alarm she dozed off the phone still clutched in her hand.

* * *

"Mastuoka practice is about to start! Where do you think you're going?" Seijirou asked when he saw Rin still without his goggles and swim cap.

"Ai's not here yet." Rin answered as he zipped up his jacket over his jammers. "She had trouble sleeping last night due to some stupid exam she was freaking out about."

"Oh is she okay?" Seijirou questioned concerned. "She never misses practice."

"That's why I'm going to go to the room and check." Rin answered as he headed out of the pool facility.

Ai rolled over in her bed with happy murmur her blue eyes half lidded as she glanced at the phone time before they shot open and she jumped out of bed with a frantic stare.

'I over slept!' she thought worriedly as she scrambled to find her swim equipment.

She began ripping off her school uniform and underwear in a hurry to get ready. As she stood naked near the room entrance, one leg in her swimsuit the door suddenly opened.

Rin opened the door either expecting to see Ai asleep at her desk or in her bed.

He definitely didn't expect to see Ai naked one hand bracing against the wall as her swimsuit was pooled at her feet. He saw every inch of her pale porcelain skin bared to him as they both stood shocked. Blue eyes peered at him wide before she rose up from her hunched position hastily covering up her chest and her groin while a bright red covered her cheeks.

"Wha…what…what are you doing?" Rin sputtered out.

"Don't look at me!" Ai suddenly spazzed slamming the door in his face. Literally in his face as he hissed when he felt the wood collide with his nose.

"Son of a…" he cursed before he gave a groan cupping his nose. He pulled his hands away with a hiss seeing blood on the tips of his fingers. "Great…freaking great…We had a damn rule Ai! We change in the bathroom." Ai came out donned in her swimsuit and gave an apologetic stare towards Rin.

"I'm so sorry Matsuoka-senpai I took a nap before practice but I overslept and I was just going to change quickly and…oh is your nose okay?"

"What do you think" Rin asked pulling his hand away to reveal a bloody mess.

"Infirmary! We need to get you to an infirmary!" She cried as she grasped his wrist tugging him to the room.

** Back at the infirmary **

"Thankfully it's not broken." Ai offered with a smile from the side of the infirmary bed. She got a glower in response from Rin who now had a bandage over his nose.

** The next day at practice **

"Matsuoka?" Rin was currently stretching his arms as he was prepared to dive in as he looked up to see a second year approached him.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I heard you got to see Ai naked? What was it like?" he asked excitedly.

Rin glowered his stare only intensified by the slight bruising under his eyes. "I got two black eyes and a near broken nose do you want to see what's it like?" He threatened. The second year backed away with a fearful look as Ai came over to Rin with a bottle of water and a towel in her hand.

"What was that about?" She asked curiously. "Amano-san looked scared or was he sick? I couldn't tell…"

"Nothing." Rin replied taking the bottle of water and towel from her.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish it was longer but I'm currently working on a lot of fun stuff like a sleepover special, a festival, and the maid cafe. So hopefully get those out soon.


	17. Chapter 12: Maid Cafe from Hell Year 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Underworld Maid Cafe is finally here. Cross dressing. Frilly outfits and drinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go. And a huuuuuuuuuge thank you to J_L_Hynde, Dhampir_Victim and Edibile Nonsense for the sweet sweet comments. You have no idea how much those mean to me. This one's to y'all.

 

"Oh this is going to be so exciting." Ai chimed happily as she looked at the flyer while sitting on her bunk. The bright red words proclaimed 'Culture Festal!' with an array of fireworks and the pink and yellow feathered shark Lady Samezuka caricatured below with her wide sharp tooth smile and cheery yellow eyes.

"Culture festivals are so much fun don't you think Matsuoka-senpai?" she asked Rin.

"What are we doing anyway?" Rin responded from the bottom bunk below not looking up from his book.

"Mikoshiba-senpai said it was a café or restaurant of some sort." Ai replied. "Although I can't remember what…I think he mentioned underworld something…maybe it's a goth theme." She surmised.

"Whatever…" Rin muttered as he turned the page.

* * *

"Hey guys culture festival day!" Seijirou proclaimed as he walked into Rin and Ai's dorm room carrying two garment bags. "Got your outfits right here so get ready and get to room 3-B ASAP."

Rin unzipped his bag giving an arched brow before he handed it to Ai. "I think I got yours."

"Oh that makes sense…" Ai murmured as she looked at the butler uniform in her hands before passing it off to Rin. "Although it seems too small for you."

Rin looked at the butler costume and then at AI who was draping the maid's uniform across her body. "And that seems kind of big for you." He commented seeing how it engulfed her frame and danced past her legs.

"Well maybe the material stretches on yours and maybe the ribbons just tie tight. I'm going to change in the bathroom." Ai offered with a smile as she headed over with the costume bundled in her arms.

"Closet." Rin muttered heading to the area and shutting the door.

Ai set out the items of the maid costume on the bathroom counter. Bright red shoes, a white apron, delicate white ribbon headdress, the classic black maid costume with lacy frills on the hem of the skirt and arms.

As she draped the dress over her body everything hung loose. Even with the ribbons tied and laced over repeatedly, the chest and arms still hung off her frame. The only thing that fit was the maid hat, the white ribbons framing her face.

"This is too big." Ai stated as she bunched up the fabric across her chest to keep it from slipping off her body. "How is your uniform going Matsuoka Senpai?" she called out from the bathroom.

Rin grumbled as he tried buttoning the pants and grunted realizing they wouldn't get around his hips. He wasn't even going to attempt the jacket in fear he would rip the sleeves right off. "Too small." He stated as he let the pants slip to the floor slipping back his sweatpants on and stepping out of the closet.

"Ah…" Ai stepped out off the bathroom adjusting the head band. "I"ll go ask Mikoshiba-Senpai if he has any extras." she stated as she hurried out of the room trying to keep the outfit slipping off her body.

Rin was going to tell her to change first, but he was trying to fight a blush growing on his cheeks. The fabric may have bunched up, but the image was still there. Ai in a maids uniform draped across her lithe figure, the black skirt fanning out, white ribbons framing her delicate face.

"Mikoshiba-senpai!" she knocked on the door hoping he was there. She fidgeted briefly trying to keep the maid uniform from slipping off before she gave a sigh of relief seeing when he opened the door. "Oh Mikoshiba-senpai you look very dashing."

"Thanks Ai!" He proclaimed giving a cheeky grin in a butler's uniform while he was adjusting his tie. "Why are you wearing that Nitori?"

"Oh well it's a bit big and Matsuoka-senpais is too small. Do you have any others?"

Seijirous gold eyes brightened and he gave a chuckle leaning against the doorway. "That's the wrong uniform for you."

"Oh…so our's got mixed up?" Ai asked.

"Kind of. Matsuoka has your uniform and you have his. It's part of the tradition of the underworld maid café. First and second years have to cross dress as maids while third years get to be butlers. Or in your case as a second year you have to cross dress and be a butler."

"What?" Ai asked before realization slowly crept in her eyes, her mouth falling into an 'o'. "Ah…" she glanced back at her door with a grimace.

'He won't be happy about that…'

"So do we have new uniforms?" Rin asked when Ai returned from the room.

"Um…" Ai kept the fabric tight to her body as she put on her best smile. "Well apparently it's a Samezeka Tradition of the Maid's Café from Hell." She proclaimed.

"What is that some kind of skit?" Rin asked confused.

"No it's a café…and the third years get to dress as butlers while the first and second years have to cross dress…so I am going to be a butler and you…"

Rin's eyes widened in realization and he gave a scowl. "No…" he snapped angrily. "No way in hell."

"I heard that Matsuoka." Seijirou called from the other side of the door before coming in. "And you don't have an option! It's mandatory."

"Then I quit." Rin snapped.

"Matsuoka Senpai!" Ai claimed worriedly looking towards Rin with an anxious stare."It's not so bad. I'm cross dressing too!" she offered trying to calm him down.

"It's not the same!" Rin snapped looking at Ai. "No way in hell I'm wearing…that!"

"You will or you're off the team." Seijirou replied sternly. "I better see you there in that maid outfit." He left the room throwing a demanding glare at Rin before he left.

"No." Rin stated as Ai looked to him with a grimace. "No."

"Rin-Senpai." She stated looking up at him. "You told me you would do anything to attain your dream of getting to the Olympics. right? Well this is that anything! It's just one day and the others and myself will be like this too."

He glared down looking at Ai still draped in the uniform picturing it on himself. Ai sensed his anger and she gave him a comforting smile. "It's not so bad Senpai. You really don't want to quit the club over something stupid like this right? It's only just the morning."

Rin shoulders sagged as he gave a hiss through his teeth. "Fine…"

"Let's get cross dressed!" Ai proclaimed heading over to the bathroom.

"Don't say it like that." Rin stated with a sigh leaning his head back as he felt a vein in his temple throb.

* * *

"Why do I have to wear this?" Rin grumbled as him and Ai walked through the hallways. He stumbled twice in the clunky shoes, hated how the lace itched against his arms and how the ribbon of the headdress kept tickling his face. "I want to punch the alumni who thought of this right in the face."

"It looks good on you Senpai." She replied while she adjusted the gloves of her butlers uniform. "The arms showcase the muscles and shoulders you built through swimming. And your legs that I can glimpse through your petticoat are so tight and wonderful!"

"Don't make this weird." He mumbled.

Rin then glossed over Nitori. The butler uniform hugged her frame nicely and she used some bobby pins to pull back her hair to a slimmer style. With how small her chest was, her bright blue eyes and her slight muscle tone…

'She looks like a really pretty boy.' Rin thought as they finally came to Room 3-B.

"Oh the sign is interesting." Ai commented staring at the gothic print bordered by black flowers. "I'm surprised they just don't go all in with a goth theme and do Lolita maid outfits."

"Don't give them any ideas." Rin muttered.

"You guys almost set up? The culture festival is about to start!" Seijirou barked to the cooks as he came out of the kitchen curtain before his eyes fell over Rin and Nitori.

"Great to see you two. Nitori that butler uniform looks good on you."

"What are you talking about Captain? There's someone here who looks more wonderful than I do." Ai said with a bright smile gesturing towards Rin.

"I know, I know. Matsuoka dressed as a maid is like Mount Everest-level of super, right?" Seijirou said with a smirk as Rin gave a scowl in response.

"Ready Captain!" A cook from the back said

"Alright guys gather up." All of the Samezuka team assembled around the captain. Ai couldn't help but have a smile on her face seeing her muscular teammates dressed in an array of white aprons and black frilly dresses.

"You're all part of the first shift so be respectful and be happy. You got your assigned roles here." Seijirou stated holding out a paper.

"Oh I'm a host and in charge of drinks." Ai said when the paper came to her before passing it over to Rin.

"Wiatress…" He mumbled reluctantly.

* * *

**_A few hours later..._ **

"This is so not fair." Shouta whined as he balanced the plates on a tray.

"What isn't fair? That we have to dress like idiots?" Rin growled slamming his own tray down once he delivered his food.

"No." Toru pulled back a curtain to reveal Ai giving a small bow of her head as she dropped off some drinks to a group of girls. The girls gave a small giggle as Ai gave them a cheerful smile before walking away and then they whispered amongst themselves as they shot Ai shy glances.

"Those girls are going all gaga over Ai." He added with a glower.

"It's the butler outfit. Do they even know she's a girl?" Minami asked. "She's gotten three numbers already."

"Seriously?" Rin asked.

"Well she does pull it off pretty well." Toru commented. "That with her polite nature it's a match made in heaven."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ai asked coming into the kitchen area.

"Nothing." Rin answered.

"Matsuoka table 6!" Seijirou barked out from the host stand. "And NItori, can you bus table 3?"

"On it!" Ai responded happily as she walked over to the table and cleared some glasses. As she picked up once glass she noticed a note under one with her name bearing a phone number and hearts all about it. Ai smiled to herself shaking her head with a small laugh.

"Hey Nitori, Can you get three tropical lemonades over to table 3?" Rin said while he was scribbling the rest of the orders.

"Oh sure thing." Ai answered as she walked alongside him with the empty glasses. Rin noticed the paper on the tray and grabbed it.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Oh I think one of the girls left me their phone number." She answered.

"And you're okay with that?" Rin asked seeing her still cheerful smile.

"I don't think they know I'm a girl but it's still a compliment regardless." She surmised taking the number from Rin and slipping it in her coat pocket. "Although I will probably give them a call to let them know I'm flattered but not interested. Let me start making those drinks." Rin watched as she gathered the glasses and poured the drinks before she delivered them to his table the girls giving the same flirty glances at Ai.

"Kind of ironic huh?" Minami asked while he was bussing his own table.

"What is?" he asked.

"She breaks heart as a girl here. She breaks hearts when she's a guy. Ai's a heartbreaker." He summarized with a shake of his head and a smile.

'She's not a heart breaker.' Rin thought staring as Ai walked past him still carrying the same cheerful smile. 'She's too freaking nice to be a heartbreaker…'

"Gou-kun!" Seiijirou exclaimed eagerly.

Rin dropped his tray in shock seeing his sister at the hostess stand while the Samezuka captain gave her an excited smile.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Rin then glared angrily towards Ai. "Did you invite her?"

"Ah…was I not supposed to?" she asked innocently holding up her tray, her blue looking over the edge.

Rin fought the urge to use his Iron claw on Ai before Gou's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"Rin." Gou exclaimed cheerfully as she came up to him with a wave.

"Eh…" Rin froze on the spot tempted to just bolt out of the cafe altogether, swim club status be damned as his sister came towards him.  
 **"** I came here to vis…" she trailed off seeing Rin fully in his maid uniform. "Brother…your outfit…" she commented shocked .

Rin rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed while his sister surveyed him.

 **"** You look so pretty!" Gou commented with a bright smile.

"Doesn't he?!" Ai agreed happily.

"What?" Rin questioned shocked as Gou came closer her burgundy eyes happily glossing over Rin.

"Even in your maid outfit, I can tell you have huge pecs!" She said throwing her brother a beaming smile.

"As expected from the little sister!" Ai added.

"I need to take a picture!" She said holding up her camera before taking a picture of a shocked Rin.

"Gou…" Rin moaned after a few clicks of the camera.

"Ai you look really cute too! That uniform suits you well."

"Oh thanks Kou-chan." Ai said rubbing the back of her head bashfully. "But I think Matsuoka-senpai looks better."

"Get together." Gou said waving her hand towards the two. "This will make for a super cute picture!" Ai stepped towards Rin who gave a roll of his eyes as Gou's camera kept clicking on.

"Oh I can't wait to see these…" The Iwatobi manager said as she looked through the camera feed.

"Hey there, Gou-kun. I'm getting my break in just a minute, so why don't you and I circle the festival–" Seijirou broke in but was interrupted by Rin.

"Gou! Wait for me ten more minutes. Since you're here, I'll take you around the place." He said.

Gou blinked a few times stunned before a bright smile broke out on her face. "Okay!"

"–dtogether for lunch… Huh?" Seijriou blinked as Rin ushered Gou to an empty table.

"Just wait here for a bit okay? You want anything?" Rin asked his sister.

"I could go for a drink." Gou responded.

"Sure…Ai…"

"Coming…" she called out.

"But…" Seijiorou said.

"Captain Mikoshiba… don't mind." Ai stated patting Seijriou on the back with a cheerful smile before she walked away.

"Thank you for coming to the underworld maid café." Ai said to Gou with a small bow of her head. "What kind of beverage can I get you dearest mistress?"

"The raspberry tea sounds nice Ai-chan.." she responded trying not to break out laughing at her friend.

"It is refreshing. Coming right up!"

Gou smiled as she watched her friend walk away while she looked at the menu. 'It would make sense if me and Rin had lunch here…' she stared at the Samezuka swimmers walking around. 'Plus I would get to see plenty of muscles on display…' she thought with a wistful smile.

"They're not together…just ask her." Gou glanced over to a group of four girls sitting at the table next to her.

"But she's so pretty…" one responded shyly. "And they seem pretty friendly."

"But in a friendly way not in a romantic way." One girl with glasses huffed before looking to Gou. "You're not in a relationship with the waiter right?"

"Waiter…?" Gou asked confused.

'Do they mean Oni-chan?' she thought.

"Here's your drink." Ai responded setting the glass down before looking at the table next to Gou. "Are you ladies okay?"

"I'm sorry can we have another round of drinks?" a girl asked with a flirtatious stare.

"Of course." Ai responded with a cheerful smile before walking off.

"That waiter." The glasses girl asked once Ai was out of earshot. "You seemed pretty friendly and our friend was interested in him but she was worried there was something going on between you two…" The girl gave a shy glance towards Gou with a deep blush on her cheeks.

"Oh there's nothing between me and Ai but..…" she was about to reveal Ai's gender but someone interrupted.

"Gou…you ready?" Rin asked his sister coming to the table.

"Ah…yes but…"

"Come on you want to check out the other booths right?" Rin asked sitting down across from her. "So finish up your drink."

Gou sipped her drink observing as Ai dropped off the drinks on her tray. The girls giggled as Ai walked away giving encouraging glances to the girl.

"Do they…?" Gou started.

"They don't." Rin surmised.

"Does Ai…"

"She doesn't mind." Rin said with a shrug. "She'll let them down easy later."

Gou gave a giggle as she finished the last of her drink. "She's a bit of a heart breaker isn't she?" She asked her big brother with a smirk.

"That's not how I would describe it." Rin said watching as the girls left a note for Ai on the table before they left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> something I've been wanting to write for awhile. Hope you all like but in all honestly year 1 fun....year 2 of underworld maid cafe way way way more fun ideas to write about but sadly way way way into the future. Hope you all liked. More to come soon...hopefully. Thanks for reading.


	18. Ch 14: Ducks Take Flight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the update. Real life just loves to get in the way, but hope you enjoy. And a big ol' thank you and shout out for those of you that leave those sweet sweet comments that keep me going. J_L_Hynde, Dhampir_Victim and EdibleNonsense. This one's for you! Hope you enjoy!

"You're kicking off too close to the turn." Rin stated. "Let the water carry you and then when you feel that loss of momentum then start your kick. That should knock your time a bit there."

"Got it." The swimmer said with a nod before taking to the block again. Ai beamed as she kept her legs kicking while her torso was settled on the kickboard.

'He really wants to build the best team…' she thought with a smile. Her own momentum was shattered when she heard Seijirou bark, "Nitori! Front and center!"

The board shot out from her and she scrambled to catch it causing some other swimmers from behind her collide. She gave an apologetic stare before she swam across the lanes to the captain.

"Captain?" She asked curiously.

"Hey normally I hate to interrupt practice, but some lady wants to talk to you."

"Lady?" Ai asked looking over to where Seijirou was gesturing. Her eyes fell on a prim woman with half moon glasses in a suit glossing over some papers in the lobby. "Do you know who she is?"

"No clue. Sugimoto just said she wanted to discuss an opportunity with you." Seijirou replied.

'Opportunity…' Ai thought confused. 'Opportunity about what?'

"O…okay." Ai murmured grabbing a towel and pulling her jacket over her body.

"Ah you're Aichirou Nitori." The woman said pulling the glasses down the tip of her nose and glossing over Ai with a smile once she entered the lobby.

"Ah yes…" Ai gave a bow of her head. "It's nice to meet you Miss…."

"You know I wasn't expecting anyone to come close to Takamara till nationals. It was surprising to say the least that a first year during district could…" The woman continued ignoring Ai's question.

"Ah…" Ai wasn't sure what to say as the woman circled her, her green eyes glossing over her repeatedly.

'I feel like a prey being surveyed by a predator.' Ai thought as she gave a gulp at the intense stare from behind the glasses. "I'm sorry I didn't get your name…" she murmured.

"I'm Satsuki Yukino." The woman replied pressing the glasses back up her face with curt nod. "The swimming coach of Kawa Academy."

"Oh…that's a very prestigious school." Ai said feeling a bit awestruck. "You have swimmers who make nationals regularly."

"We do. And with my coaching you could be one of them." Yukono replied with a bold smirk on her lips.

* * *

 

"Hey captain. What's going on?" Takuya asked his green eyes peering at the scene in the lobby.

"None of your business. Just get back to practice." Seijirou replied turning his stern gaze over to Matsuoka who was peering at the conversation going on. "Matusoka do I have to tell you twice?"

Rin took one last lingering gaze as he watched the woman talk Ai giving a few nods before the woman held up a business card with a smile. Ai took it in both hands giving the woman a slight bow of her head.

"Get in the water Matsuoka!" Seijirou snapped before he shoved him into the pool.

* * *

 

"What was that about?" Rin asked as he and Ai walked back to their room after swim practice.

"That was the swim coach from Kawa Academy." She answered.

"What did she want?" He questioned curiously before he opened the door. Ai stepped in dropping her swim equipment near the desk. Rin watched as she dug through her swim jacket before pulling out a business card. She held it in her hands starring at the embossed print.

"She…she offered me a place on the Kawa Academy swim team."

Rin eyes widened slightly as she watched Ai set the card down on her desk before she fiddled with the zipper of her swim jacket.

"Are you going to go?" he questioned.

"I need to think it over." She softly said taking her jacket off. "Of course, I would need to talk with my parents, but it's a good offer. From what I can remember from the website when I was searching schools they had a really nice swim facility and they have swimmers who make nationals regularly. Also, the swim coach herself was an Olympic Swimmer so she probably knows great techniques to reach that level. Honestly, I'm surprised she's offering me a spot, but she must have seen something during the meet even though I lost…"

"Sounds like you have your heart set on it." Rin muttered sitting on his bed.

"It makes sense, right?" Ai asked throwing a sheepish smile towards Rin. "I mean this is a boy's academy. I…I don't really belong here."

Rin stared at the apprehensive stare on her face as she looked over the business card again.

* * *

 

_** A day later ** _

"Captain is she really going?" Takuya asked worriedly over lunch .

"I don't know." Seijirou said picking at his noodles. "She's still thinking it over."

"Well can you tell her not to…" Minami questioned pleadingly. "Just tell her to stay here."

"Why would I do that?" Seijirou angrily replied. "Put yourself in her shoes. Would you really want to be the only guy at an all girls Academy?"

Takuya and Minami shared a smirk at the question as Rin rolled his eyes at the current direction the conversation was going.

"Forget I asked." Seijirou said with a shake of his head and a huff. "It's a tough decision whether or not she goes. Although she probably will…and if I hear any of you try to persuade her otherwise I'm tripling the regiment." He threatened to the three.

"She mention anything to you?" Minami asked Rin.

"Nah. She's still mulling it over." Rin answered.

* * *

 

"But that's so far away." Gou exclaimed holding the phone closer to her ear.

"It's not that far." Ai replied over her own phone as she lay on her bunk bed.

"Still I wouldn't be able to see you as often." Gou added with a disappointing whine. "And we haven't even had that sleepover I was talking about."

"We still can…it would just be during one of the breaks." Ai offered.

"But still…I'll miss you. It was nice having another girl that was involved in swimming. Hana-chan's not as interested and Amata-sensei is a teacher so I can't discuss muscles with her…"

"Yeah I'm going to miss you too…I'm going to miss here…" Ai murmured as she sat up her eyes traveling over to the Samezuka jacket hanging off her desk chair.

"Are you okay?" Gou asked after a moment of silence.

"I guess I was thinking I would be more excited. When I found out the situation I was in I was just waiting till the summer so I could transfer and now that I have the chance too…"

"It sounds like you don't want to go."

Ai gave a wry chuckle looking at the chaotic mess on her desk filled with knick-knacks of her past that she should have long let go. "I guess I just get overly attached to things…" she murmured. "It's so dumb but, there's a part of me that really doesn't want to leave."

"Ai-chan…are you okay?" Gou asked hearing the sadness in her voice.

Ai shook her head as she forced a smile on her face. "I'm fine. I'm checking out the facility tomorrow, maybe I'll feel a bit better about it then."

* * *

 

**_Later that evening_ **

"You know normal people fold." Rin commented watching Ai shove some clothes in a bag.

"Eh…I'll fold once I get there." She replied with a shrug and a smile.

'No you won't.' he thought as he watched her try to cram contents past what her duffel bag could hold.

"How long are you going to be gone?" he asked.

"A few days so you'll have the room to yourself." Ai answered giving Rin a smile as she stood up. "Oh I need to make sure I got excused from classes for the last day. Do you want anything from the vending machines while I'm gone?"

"No I'm good." Rin watched Ai leave and he gave a sigh as he stood up shaking out the back of his hair. She had already cleared some items from her desk, but he noticed her diary was still there.

He stood up glancing at the journal laid out among the loose leafs of paper and other junk she had spattered across the dumpster grounds she called a desk. He glanced out into the hallway his burgundy eyes searching to see her lavender hair and then back to the journal.

Rin kept his own journal back in Australia as a way of talking to someone who could fully understand him and keeping a connection to his native language. He understood the deeply personal connection Ai had made to the papers scrawled with her writing.

'Don't look.' He uttered to himself, his hand on the page. 'Don't look.' Finally he gave in peering at the writings. His burgundy eyes glossed over before her found her referencing Kawa.

' _I should be so excited to transfer to Kawa, but I guess a part of me is really going to miss it here…I've made so many friends and created so many memories. There's a big part of me that almost doesn't want to leave.'_

Rin shut the diary and reached for his phone quickly pressing a few numbers. He heard the phone ring briefly before a happy voice answered.

"Oni-chan!"

"Hey Gou I need you to do me a favor if you can…" he started.

* * *

 

**_The Next Day_ **

Ai took a sip of her soda before she looked anxiously at the suitcase at her side. 'I hope I packed everything.' She fretted. As her hand came on the zipper to open so she could inspect it for the sixth time a voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Ai!" Her head snapped and her blue eyes widened when she saw the figure running towards her.

"Matusoka-Senpai!" she exclaimed shocked. He ran in front of her putting his hands on his knees while he took some strangled breaths.

"Did I forget something in the room?" she asked embarrassed. "I know I always forget something. You really didn't have to come down here to give it…

Rin panted a few times shaking his head as he waved his hand. "No…Don't go." He finally managed to get out.

"What?" she questioned.

"Don't go Ai." He managed to get out firmly.

"Don't go on the train?" She asked confused. "Do you think I should take the bus instead? It's a bit slower but I already have my ticket for..."

"Don't go to Kawa."

Ai's eyes widened at his declaration.

"I…Matsuoka-senpai…I haven't…"

"You are. You're going to choose it Ai. You checking it out is just a formality but you're probably already decided."

"I…yes…I have." Ai murmured. "How did you know?"

"Because I know you Ai, but why are you leaving.?"

"Because it's a good Academy with a great swim team." Ai replied firmly.

"So is Samezuka." Rin answered.

"Matsuoka-senpai…Samezuka is a boy's academy…"

"So?"

"So…? I'm a girl." Ai stated slightly exasperated. "I like it here. I do. More than I ever thought I would, but Matsuoka-senpai I have to wear the boy's uniform. I have to use the faculty bathroom. I can't use the locker rooms or the showers till everyone leaves. I don't belong here."

"Says who?" Rin questioned angrily. Ai shuffled her feet as she glanced down at them..

"Nobody…" She murmured. "but Matsuoka-senpai it's still a boys academy and I'm a girl. Even you must be tired of sharing a room with me."

"I don't hate sharing a room with you." Rin mumbled reluctantly. "I hate your stupid messes but I don't hate sharing a room with you. Is it really so hard being here?"

"It's…no…but…" she fretted.

"But what?" Rin asked frustrated seeing the uncertainty in her eyes.

"I…"

"Look." Rin unfurled the papers in his hand showing them to Ai. Her blue eyes recognized the graphs from her own computer program she used to organize swim times. "These are your numbers before…." He pointed out his finger sliding to the line below. "These are your numbers from regionals."

"Oh…I…I know I improved, but I didn't think this much."

"Ai we push you here. If you go over there you'll blow them out of the water and then get stagnant. You don't need to leave to be a great swimmer."

"Senpai…" she said staring at the pages. "I…" She gave a startled jump when the hurdle of the train caused them both to stare at the train and then to each other.

"I…I need to get on." Ai replied apologetically as she glanced up at him.

"You know what? Do what you want!" Rin snapped storming off.

"Matusoka-senpai…" Ai called out, but he was too far to hear over the clamor of passengers getting off. Ai glanced over at his back while he stormed away and then to the train as the horn blared again urging passengers to get on. She gave one last glance at Rin before he disappeared from her sight efore she hurriedly grabbed the papers and then her suitcase. She boarded on just as the train doors closed and leaned against the window. As the train lurched forward taking off Ai looked down at the papers settled on her lap, her blue eyes glossing over the lines and numbers.

* * *

 

_**2 days later-Samezuka Swim Facility** _

"So hear any word from Ai yet?" Seijriou asked Rin over the splashes of the other swimmers practicing.

"No…" He mumbled looking up at the captain.

"Must be nice having the room to yourself. Might even stay that was for the rest of the year." Seijirou commented.

Rin didn't say anything as he rolled his shoulders before stepping onto the block. As he dove into the water, he thought about the room. He wouldn't admit to anyone, but he actually missed Ai. He missed her greeting him whenever he entered the room. He missed her humming her upbeat tunes while they were studying. He realized he even got use to her flowery smelling crap that somehow permeated everywhere.

As he emerged from the water and pulled himself back on the deck he realized he missed her handing out the towel to him giving him that encouraging smile of hers.

'Better get used to it…' a voice inside told him.

"Alright guys gather into teams of four we're doing free style relays to end practice." Seijirou declared

The rest of the team groaned but reluctantly gathered into fours. Rin settled next to Takuya and Minami waiting for a fourth member to join. When all the rest of the swim team had settled Minami's purple eyes glossed over the group and and then raised his hand with a grimace.

"Wait Captain we're one short."

"What?"

"We only have three." Takuya added.

"What?" Seijirou asked counting before he gave a sigh. "Damn it forgot Ai makes things even."

"I'll just swim twice." Rin muttered.

"Not the best solution." Seijirou replied scratching the back of his head. "But I guess for now…"

"Need a fourth?" A soft voice piped. The entire team turned to see in the entrance, the Samezuka jacket over her lavender swimsuit as she gave them a bright smile.

"Ai?" Rin murmured which was overshadowed by a boisterous "Ai!" from Seijriou. The girl was quickly smothered by the guys of the swimteam giving her pats on the heads and hugs.

"AI you came back early?" Minami asked.

"Yeah I did."

"You didn't like the academy?" Takuya asked.

"No I liked it a lot. The academy is beautiful and the swim team is really something…but…" she trailed off as she tried to find the right words.

"But what?" Rin questioned.

"I guess I just realized I have improved a lot while I'm here." She said looking at him with that sincere smile that he missed. "I think I can improve even more. Plus it's a lot farther away from my family. Also I'd miss it here…"

"So you're staying?" Seijirou asked his gold eyes bright in anticipation.

"I'm staying." She said with an excited nod which was met with a few relieved sighs and some happy cheers.

"Great! Now come on guys freestyle relay now! Ai you're with Matsuoka's group."

"Yes sir!" Ai sloughed off her jacket and looped the goggles over her neck before she trotted over to Minami, Takuya and Rin with a determined smile.

"Ai you'll go first. I'll be the anchor." Rin said.

"Okay!" She chimed. "Let's win this."

He watched as she put the goggles over her eyes and crouched down as the rest of the swimmers settled on the block..

"Ai loosen up. Watch that bend in your legs." Rin commented from the line.

"Right." She replied adjusting herself. As the whistle blew he watched her dive off and gave a satisfied smile.

'And I'm glad you're staying.' He thought watching as she swam through managing to keep pace with the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. I hope the next one comes out faster. I have a sleepover in mind and a halloween special that I hope I will get out before halloween. Fingers crossed.


	19. Halloween Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween Special   
> And by Halloween Special I mean loosely related to Halloween in the most loose way possible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all like. A huge thank you to Dhampir_Victim and J_L_Hynde for the sweet reviews and the guest who left kudos. Hope you enjoy.

"Hey Ai! Rin!" Both Rin and Ai turned to see Minami and Takuya coming towards them while they were walking back to the dorms after practice. " Since it's the weekend, a bunch of us are going out to watch a movie."

"Oh it's been awhile since I've seen a movie." Ai answered excitedly. "Which one are we going to go see?"

"The Killer Clown from Hell." Minami responded. "Figure it's the perfect time with Halloween coming close and all."

"Ah…" Ai face blanched to an even paler shade.

"Oh yeah I've been wanting to see that one. I hear it's pretty good." Rin answered with an eager smirk.

"Ai…?" Takuya asked teasingly seeing her uneasy stare. "What about you? You look a little scared."

"I'm…I'm not." She replied trying to put on a determined face. "It's just those horror movies are so cheesy."

"So you'll have no trouble sitting through it." Minami asked with a smirk on his own face. "Right?"

"Ri…right." Ai answered after a gulp.

* * *

 

Most of the Samezuka swim team had decided to come along and they managed to get two rows in the theater for themselves. Ai had her bucket of popcorn perched in her lap as she shifted in her seat nervously.

"I thought you liked scary movies." Rin asked from next to her as the previews droned on. "You seem to know a lot about them." Ai popped some popcorn in her mouth and anxiously chewed.

"Mitz likes scary movies, but I…" she was cut off as the lights dims and haunting music blared through as red dripping letters darted across the screen.

Rin was pretty entertained by the movie. He loved the horror genre, but he almost felt bad for being just as entertained by the flinches and startled jumps of Ai next to him. Her face was almost blue, she was practically curling in her seat and trying to hide behind her bucket of popcorn. At one point she let the bucket fly much to Seijirou's annoyance at having popcorn rain on him.

None the less she managed to sit through the entire thing. She gave a relieved sigh when the red dripping letter's 'The End?' were splashed across the screen while a maniacal laugh echoed.

"You going to be okay?" Rin asked as she stood up. He could see a slight shake in her legs as she looked up at him and gave an even shakier nod.

"Yeah…it's…it's just a movie." Ai answered. "It's just a movie."

* * *

_**Later that night** _

"It's just a movie, just a movie...just a movie….just a..Ah!" Ai jumped in her bed, her blue eyes darting about as she stared frantically around the room.

"Would you chill?" Rin grumbled from the bunk below. It was the fifth time she gave a startled cry and each time had just been around the time RIn was about to fall asleep.

"Can you just sit still?" Rin griped to the bunk above.

"Ah…sorry Matsuoaka-Senpai." He heard her state as she rustled a few more times.

Rin grumbled closing his eyes as he tried to will himself to fall asleep. Just as he was on hazy edge of a slumber, the sudden sharp rustling with a startled cry above him caused his eyes to snap open.

"What the hell is going on with you?" he rose from his bed standing up and glaring into the bunk above. He saw the curled trembling ball under the comforter pulling it off as Ai gazed at him with wide eyes clutching her pillow and harbor seal to her chest.

"Ai seriously?" he asked.

"I'm sorry…" She said with a bow of her head, curling into an ever tighter ball. "I just can't sleep."

"All this over the stupid movie?"

"I've never been good with scary movies."

"So why go?!" he asked frustrated.

"I…" she pushed her face into her seal murmuring something.

"What?!" he asked snatching the seal from her grasp.

"I…I just wanted to be a part of the group." She muttered.

"You are part of the group Ai. All these guys here think of you as part of the group." Rin snapped tossing the seal at her. "You didn't have to sit through some movie to teach you that."

"Oh I know what I'll do so I won't keep you awake!" Ai suddenly chimed her eyes bright.

"What?!" Rin asked watching as she gathered her comforter pillow throwing it on the floor. He stared as she came down the ladder, giving her a dead pan stare. 'Is she going to get in my bed?' He thought crossing his arms.

However Ai grabbed her things and then headed to the bathroom. "I'll sleep in the tub so that way when I get jumpy I won't wake you! Night Senpai!" she declared with a grin before shutting the door.

He blinked a few times.

'Problem solved?' he thought tempting to get back in his bed, but he hissed through his teeth and ran over to the door throwing it open. Ai jumped in the tub clutching the comforter to her chest.

"That's not a good plan."

"It's fine Senpai." She said settling against her pillow giving him a smile. "I'll make do."

"Get out!"

"Wha?" Ai asked confused.

He grabbed the comforter and her pillow leaving her bare in the tub as he turned tossing it on his bed.

"Senpai?" She asked glancing up at him as he glared down at her.

"This is a one time thing so just get into my bed and whatever you're thinking I'll keep whatever monsters your crazy mind thinks are there away so just get in the freaking bed."

"But…" she glanced worriedly at the bed and then back at him.

'He's asking me to sleep with him?' she thought.

"Now!" he snapped and she scrambled in curling against her seal pressing against the wall.

Rin inched himself to the edge throwing the comforter over his body. "Night…" he mumbled.

"Night Rin…Senpai." She stated softly closing her eyes. She expected herself to jump worried that the demon clown was coming to get her, but instead her mind was now focused on her own pounding heartbeat and the soft breathing of the boy next to her.

* * *

 

_The sands of the desert stretched out in vast dunes. A trail of footprints was the only sign of life as Rin took step after step while the sun beat down on him. He pulled off his shirt throwing it over his head as he tried to feebly shade himself._

_Rin gave a growl as he strained to take another step, but his knees buckled and he fell into the hot sand. He felt the grains practically burning his skin as he groaned and rolled over, a hand weakly being held up to block the sun._

_'This sucks…' he gave another groan as he squinted his eyes feeling the sun radiating his entire body to practically a crisp._

_"Matsuoka-senpai!" A voice cried out. He blinked hazily but closed his eyes again with a whine when the blare of the sun became too much. He gave a sigh of relief when a cool hand came across his forehead. He blearily blinked to see AI gazing at him concerned. She was dressed in light lavender cloth that danced across her body with a sheer veil over the bottom of her face._

_"Ai what are you…" He managed to raise himself on his forearms. "What are you doing here?'_

_"Come on!" She helped stand him up leading him to a camel._

_"What the?" THe camel peered at him before it shook himself. "Is this a camel?"_

_"Get on! Come on." Ai urged. He pulled himself up and nestled himself behind her as Ai took the reins of the camel._

_"Go Chappie!" The camel gave a grunt and then plodded along across the stand. Rin struggled to keep himself up and leaned against Ai._

_"It's okay Matsuoka-senpai we're almost there!"_

_'Almost where?' he thought brushing a sweat drenched lock out of his eye. His burgundy eyes suddenly widened when his irises fell on a pool of blue._

_"is that…?" Rin was in disbelief at the oasis before him. Ai disembarked from the camel with RIn sliding off. He took faltering steps to the pools edge his mouth agape. Ai led the camel to the water who proceeded to down gulps and she giggled at RIn who fell right in and floated on his back with a relieved sigh._

_"Feeling better Matsuoka-senpai?"_

_"Much." He murmured before he turned diving in the water. When he broke the waters edge he saw Ai sitting under the shade of a palm tree giving him a beaming smile._

_Rin swam for a while more till he emerged from the water walking over to Ai. He plopped down next to her giving a sigh._

_"That was great, but I still feel a little hot." Suddenly he felt a cool hand on his forehead and he peered up to Ai. "Is this better?"_

_"Yeah…" he then felt something cold wrap around him. His eyes snapped open and he glanced down seeing the top of Ai's head draped across his body._

_"Is this better?" she murmured looking up at him. Rin gave a smile as he laid his head back down._

_"Yeah…" he replied loving how cool Ai felt against his skin._

_Suddenly the camel let out a grunt and Rin tsked in annoyance. "Can you shut him up?"_

_"No…" Ai replied. "You have to."_

_"What do you mean?" RIn asked confused. The camel only got louder and louder and louder till…_

Rin jolted up and reached over to his cell phone shutting it off. As he tried to move his other hands he felt a tug. He finally looked over realizing his arm was pinned under a slumbering Ai.

'How is she such a deep sleeper?' he thought seeing her peaceful smile.

He realized he had a bigger question to answer as he gave another tug of his arm. 'How the hell am I going to get out of here?'

He gave another pull his arm but his arm remained firm under Ai and he gave a begrudging sigh. 'Okay...do I wake her up? Or…' Rin contemplated for a few moments and he gave his arm another tug. Rin stopped when he felt her stir, but her eyes only fluttered and stayed closed..

'Maybe if I make it quick enough.' he thought taking in a deep breath. He then yanked his arm with all the force he could muster. He was surprised when his arm popped out and he fell off the bed with an ungraceful thunk. He stayed on the floor ignoring the throbbing on his side while he waited to hear if Ai had woken up. When he heard nothing he managed to raise himself and gazed as she was rolled over on the other side.

'Okay…' he thought rolling his shoulders. He stopped when Ai rolled over her blue eyes open giving  him a hazy stare.

"Matsuoka-senpai…" She murmured.

"I'm going for a run. You going to be okay?" he asked.

"Oh...yeah…" she raised herself and gave a nod while she blinked drowsily. "I'm sorry about this but thank you...I'll be okay for tonight." she affirmed.

* * *

 

**_Later that night_ **

"Just get in the damn bed again." Rin snapped to the bunk above when Ai jolted with a cry for the sixth time.

"Sorry...sorry...sorry." Ai murmured as Rin scooted over. "It's the last time I swear."

The next morning RIn found Ai draped over him, slumbering away. He didn't know which god to thank that he managed to get her off of him without waking her up.

* * *

 

_**The Next Day** _

Rin walked along the school quad and stopped when he saw Takuya and Minami peeking around a corner of a building.

"What the hell are you two doing?" he asked.

"Here she comes!" Takuya whispered.

Minami spun around and held a finger to his lips as Takuya put on a ghoulish clown mask.

"We're going to scare Nitori!" Takuya answered through the synthetic vinyl. "You saw how freaked out she got at the movies! This is going to be awesome."

"You dicks are…"

"Here she comes! Shut up!" Minami snapped, slamming his hand over Rin's mouth.

Rin gave a death glare tempted to bite Minami's hand but stopped when he saw Nitori come around the corner.

Takuya jumped out giving a maniacal laugh before he yelled out in a raspy voice "I've come to take your…."

That's as far as he got as Ai let out a shrill scream, blindly throwing out her fist which collided right in his face.

The three were wide eyed as the clown reeled back hitting the dirt with a thud and a pained groan.

"My eye!" the muffle wail came after a moment of shock.

"Oh I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Ai rambled going to her knees next to him. "You just scared me and I…I freaked out because of the movie…sorry…"

Rin burst out laughing. "That's what you get."

"Can it Matsuoka!" Takuya cursed as he whipped off his mask, revealing a blackened eye. "Damn it really hurts."

"I'm so sorry." Ai began again as she hooked his arm over her shoulder bringing him to his feet. "I'm going to take him to the nurse."

"Let Minami take him. It's their own damn fault."

"But…" Ai answered.

"He's right AI." Minami stated taking Takuya's other arm and looping it over his own shoulder. "Call it instant karma for trying to scare you.

"I don't care who takes me!" Takuya answered. "My eye is throbbing!"

"Suck it up." Minami replied helping him shuffle off. Ai watched with an regretful face as Rin gave a chuckle.

"That was hilarious." he said.

"I feel so bad." Ai replied with a cringe as she gathered her bag from the floor.

"Didn't think you could throw a punch like that." Rin commented.

"I didn't either.." she murmured remorsefully. "but it just happens when I get scared. That's not the first face I've hit. It's just when I get scared I swing…"

"That's not a bad trait." RIn replied.

**_ Later that night _ **

"Takuya's going to be fine." Ai replied as she settled under her comforter. "I just gave him a black eye but nothing broken and no major damage."

"That's good...I guess." Rin commented  from his bottom bunk. "You going to be okay for the night?"

He arched a brow when he heard Ai give a giggle.

"You know it's funny but I should thank Takuya and Minami-san." Ai answered as she ran her hands over the fur of her seal plushie. "But when I think of the clown now I just think of Takuya and punching him. I guess I should thank him because now the clown doesn't seem so scary if I can take him down with a punch."

Rin glanced out from the corner of his eye as some lavendar hair cascaded down and bright blue eyes peeped over the edge. "So thank you Matsuoka-senpai, but I'll be okay. You won't have to worry about having to share your bed anymore."

"Okay...good." Rin replied bringing his own blanket over his body as he rolled over to face the wall. "Night."

"Night Matsuoka-senpai." Ai answered back happily.

Rin slept fine that night, but the next morning when he woke up he gave a lingering gaze to the empty space beside him.


	20. Chapter 14: Slumber Party Sleepover Fest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more fluff as the boys of Iwatobi get together while Ai, Hana and Gou have some fun of their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you to the guest who left kudos and of course a big hug and shoutout to J_L_Hynde and Dhampir_Victim for the kind awesome words that keep this story going. Hope you enjoy the fluff.

Ai watched perked from her bunk at the Iwatobi swimmers and Rin chatting in the room. The Iwatobi swim team decided to stay after a joint practice much to Rin's chagrin.

She stared with a soft smile listening to the conversation as Rin threw a smirk to Rei while Nanase interjected with a boisterous cheer throwing his arms over the pair. Haru answered with his own thought which received a glower from Rin while Makato chuckled.

"Come on! It'll be super fun." Nagisa said with a whine towards Rin. "Don't be a party pooper!"

"Sounds lame." Rin muttered. "But whatever I'm in."

"I guess I could partake in this as well." Rei replied pushing his glasses up his face.

"Great! Haru we'll meet up at your house." Nagisa exclaimed pointing to the swimmer with an excited smile. Haru blinked a few times his stoic face unchanged.

"Why my house?" he asked.

"You have the space, the games, and the food. Come on be a team player." Nagisa replied adamantly.

Haru gave a sigh as Makato gave another chuckle looking towards his friend. "He thinks it troublesome but he's in."

"Still on that weird telekinetic thing huh?" Rin asked with a smile and a shake of his head.

_When Rin-senpai is with them, he shows different expressions than when he's with me. Whenever I see him make those faces, I do get a little surprised, but…it also makes me happy._

"Oh Ai-chan!"Gou claimed breaking Ai out of her thoughts. Ai and the Iwatobi manager were perched on her bed glossing over muscle magazines while the boys talked.

"What?"

"You know what would be fun?" Gou leaned over whispering in Ai's ear before she pulled away with an excited stare.

"Oh…" Ai gave Gou a beaming smile and a nod. "That does sound fun."

"Great I'll text you the details." She said coming down from the bunk. "But it's getting late and we should go."

"Okay. See you later Rin-chan!" Nagisa said with a wave as the group left.

"What was that about?" Rin asked curiously.

"Well Gou-chan thought since you all were having a little get together we should too."

"What does she mean we?" he asked.

"Her, Hana-chan and me." Ai replied before a look of realization darted across her face. "Oh I need to get permission from the school to stay off campus for the night."

"Wait for the night? You're having a sleepover?" Rin asked.

"Yes. Should be fun. It's been awhile since I've gone to one." Ai answered merrily on the way out of the room.

"Whose house are you sleeping over at?" Rin yelled out into the hallways.

"Gou-chan's…" Ai called out.

Rin blinked a few times before a look of horrified recognition dawned on his face. "That's my house!"

* * *

_ **Sleepover Day** _

Ai knocked on the door as she fidgeted with the bags in her arm. When the door opened her eyes widened to see a woman with burgundy hair that bounced around her face as she stared expectantly at her with brown eyes.

"Can I help you?" she asked curiously.

"Oh…umm….I'm Aichirou Nitori!" Ai proclaimed with a slight bow of her head.

"Oh you're Ai!" the woman replied opening the door with an eager stare. "Please come on in."

Ai stepped into the house as the woman gave her a warm smile. "Thank you for coming. Hana and Gou are upstairs."

"Oh…thank you Matsuoka-san!" Ai aid before she thrust out the box in her hand. "And thank you for letting me come over."

The woman started as she took the box and then opened it. "Oh! Tea cakes. Do you want me to put these in the fridge for you girls later?"

"N…No." Ai stuttered. "It's for you. As a thank you."

The woman gave a small giggle to herself as she held the box. "Gou's right. You really are too sweet. Thank you so much. I'm sure I'll enjoy them. Now why don't you go upstairs…"

Ai gave the woman a bright smile before she walked up the stairs.

* * *

"So the girls are having a sleep over at your house." Nagisa asked over the latest explosion as he furiously pressed a few keys on the game controller in his hands. "I wonder what they're doing."

"Beats me…" Rin mumbled as he pressed a few buttons. "Come on Haru can you be a little more aggressive?"

"I'm following the flow of the plane and spa…" Haru began to answer but was harshly cut off by a series of shots that jostled his plane on the screen.

"You need to start shooting." Rin growled out as he hissed when his virtual space ship lit up and jerked on the screen. He threw a glare at Rei. "Damn it Speedo Specs!"

"Shields down Nagisa!" Rei chimed out with a smirk.

"On it!" Nagisa replied quickly pressing the buttons. Rin hissed as he watched his star ship jolt a few times before it burst into flames. "Haru it's all on…"

Haru and Rin watched as Haru's plane was promptly shot down by the duo who then gave each other a high five.

"I believe that means we are victorious." Rei proclaimed pushing the glasses up his face with a confident smile.

"New teams! We're making new teams!" Rin declared before a sneeze erupted followed by two more.

"Someone's talking about you." Haru commented.

"No they're not." Rin growled out. "Come on Makato you're up." He said tossing the controller to him.

"Alright. But I'm not sure if I'm going to be any better than Haru." Makato replied giving Rin a smile.

"If you can at least shoot you'll be fine…"

* * *

"Really Ai? Him?" Hana questioned her green eyes surveying the girl skeptically.

Ai nodded bashfully a slight pink on her cheeks.

"Well he is a swimmer." Hana agreed. "So, you probably have a lot in common."

"And he does have amazing musculature." Gou agreed.

"Yeah and he is a phenomenal swimmer. Also, when he gives interviews he seems really nice." Ai stared at the picture in the magazine with a wistful smile of the pale boy with one of his lavender eyes obscured by a curtain of blonde hair. He was giving the camera a gentle smile as he dangled a gold medal in one of his hands. "I would love to meet him in person. How about you Hana? Who's your celebrity crush?"

"Oh that's easy." Hana declared once she popped a lollipop from her mouth and grabbed a magazine eagerly flipping through the pages. She gave a delighted smile and held up a picture of a guy with dark hair and blue streaks running through staring at the camera with a disinterested stare over the edge of his glasses. He had a guitar in his hand and behind him a set of bandmates giving the camera a similar apathetic gaze. "Sawae Manabe! Lead singer of The Sheets. Baritone voice with dreamy eyes and a great guitar playing style."

"She has a thing for rockers." Gou added with a smirk.

"Well who's your celebrity crush? The Hulk?" Hana asked teasingly.

Gou gave an indignant scoff as she flipped through the book in her lap before holding up a page. On it was a brunette tanned man posing shirtless wearing red soccer shorts. Perched on his hip was a soccer ball as he gave the camera roguish smirk. "You should know I prefer quality over quantity. Which is why my celebrity crush is the famous soccer player Ronaldo Christiansen. He has amazing tone and the most perfect set of muscles I have ever seen on a man. Perfect ratio and definition."

"He is very handsome." Ai agreed. "And his muscles are very well defined."

"Okay so that's celebrities but I have a question for you two." The two other girls peered at Hana curiously.

"Who would you pick to be your boyfriend from the Iwatboi team?"

"What kind of question is that?" Gou asked indignantly.

"Don't take it so seriously!" Hana said with a laugh waving her hand. "It's hypothetical. I mean it's the same with us talking about celebrities just a little closer to home. So, who would you pick to be your boyfriend?" Hana asked looking at Gou.

"Ah…oh…hm…that's a good question. Why don't you go first?"

"Why me? You know them better." Hana replied.

"Fine." Gou said after a reluctant sigh. "I guess Haru. He has amazing biceps and his swimming is phenomenal."

"Plus he can cook too since you're so bad at it!" Hana teased which received a pillow to the head in response.

"What about you Hana-chan?" Gou asked. "Since you brought up the question I want to hear your answer."

"Probably Makato-san. He seems super sweet. Plus, he's really tall."

"Oh I thought you would have picked Haru too since he has the stoic factor." The Iwatobi manager commented. "Although Makato does have very nice musculature as well."

"The stoic factor only works if you have a guitar and a singing voice to go with it." Hana clarified before turning her gaze over to Ai. "How about you Ai-chan? You've met them before. Which one would you want to be your boyfriend?"

"Oh that's a good question. I don't think I've been around them that long to be able to pick accurately. Makato-senpai seems really sweet and kind. Nanase-senpai has a bit of mystery to him and he is a phenomenal swimmer. Nagisa is very cheerful, but Ryugazaki seems dependable and very intelligent as well…"

"Sounds like you want all of them." Hana said with a smirk to her face.

"Ah…no…no." Ai replied with a blush tinting her cheeks. "Just they all would be good boyfriends in their own way."

"Typical Ai…" Gou murmured. "See's the best in everyone."

"But if you had to pick one." Hana pressed.

"Ah…hmm…" Ai put a finger to her mouth before she pointed at Gou. "Who do you think I would be best with?"

"Ah…you're asking me?" She asked shocked.

Ai nodded eagerly. "You know me and you know them. Who would you think."

"Honestly…it would be between Rei-san and Haru-san. I think you compliment Haru better, but I don't know for some reason you and Rei seem like you would be a good match."

"I can see that." Hana answered with a nod. "I thought that Ryugazaki-san had that cool and stoic factor until he opened his mouth."

"That's Rei." Gou agreed with a small laugh.

"But I do admire him. The fact he was able to get so far in such a short amount of time is pretty amazing." Ai added.

"Now I have a question for Ai." Hana said looking toward the girl from Samezuka.

"What is it Hana-chan?" she asked.

"Who would you pick to be your boyfriend from Samezuka?"

"Ah…oh…well there's a lot of guys there." Ai murmured.

"Okay umm let's narrow it down to the tall red headed captain."

"Seijirou-senpai."

"The guy with great hair and purple eyes."

"Minami-san?" Ai asked unsure about who she was talking about, but Hana carried on.

"The taller guy with dark hair that kind of sweeps forward." Hana added mimicking the style with her own pony tail.

"Takuya-san?"

"And…." Hana trailed off her mind trying to conjure another name before she glanced over at Gou with a sly smile.

"And my brother." Gou put in.

Ai turned to Gou shocked that she would bring up Matsuoka-senpai in the scenario.

"Okay so out of those four who would you pick? And you actually have to pick since you actually know them." Hana chided wagging a finger at Ai.

"Oh…well…"

Ai thought about each of the boys shuffling them through in her mind.

'Each of them have their good traits but…who would be the best boyfriend…?'

_Ai sat on a park bench and glanced at her watch. She peered around with her blue eyes before giving a sigh._

_"I guess he's not com…"_

_"Hey Ai-chan!" Seijirou greeted with a rambunctious wave running towards her._

_"Oh Seijirou-senpai." Ai greeted standing up the smile back on her face. "I thought you weren't coming."_

_"But it's five minutes to twelve." Seijirou stated looking at his watch with a confused gaze. "Showing up five minutes early is pretty standard for a date."_

_Ai gave a sigh and a shake of her head. "No, we agreed to meet at 11."_

_"Oh, it was eleven, huh!" Seijirou gave a laugh scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, sorry! I had the wrong idea."_

_"It's okay." Ai said with a shrug. "Where did you want to go today?_

_"Let's see…" he murmured to himself, his gold eyes following the park trail till a wind blew rustling his hair and the hem of Ai's dress._

_His gold eyes widened before he stared excitedly at Ai. "Oh? The wind blew from the north to the south. Okay! Let's go south!" he pointed in the direction with a determined stare._

_Ai glanced over in the direction of his fingers, her blue eyes peering confusedly. "What's there in the south Seijirou-senpai?"_

_"No idea!" he stated as he took off. "We go wherever the wind takes us!"_

_"But…" Ai started but by then the captain had already taken off._

_"Let's go!" he called over his shoulder taking off in a sprint. Ai watched as he disappeared over the hill on the horizon._

_"He…he's gone." Ai murmured._

'Maybe not Seijirou-senpai….He's a bit too carefree for my tastes. Minami-san….

_Ai sat across from Minami in a purple dress with a delicate yellow headband with a white daisy. She gave a small smile to Minami who sat across from her while she stirred her tea._

_"This is a beautiful café and thank you I love tea."_

_"Well I always want my girl to have the best. Are you having a good time?"_

_"I am.." Ai murmured with a bashful smile from over her tea._

_"Yeah me too." Minami replied leaning forward with a coy smile. "I'm going to get some tea cakes for our tea."_

_"Okay."_

_Ai watched his eyes meet hers before they briefly went over to the cake stand and he stood up walking in the direction._

_'This is going pretty well.' She thought merrily as she stirred her tea. When she took a sip she turned wondering what was taking Minami so long. When she turned around in her chair she caught sigh of Minami was leaning against the counter giving a flirtatious smile to a girl as she gave him a bashful grin._

_"Minami-san!" Ai cried out with a huff standing up from the table. Minami jolted upright as he rubbed the back of his head with an apologetic smile._

_"Sorry…sorry. Were we being exclusive?"_

_Ai sulked as she went back to angrily stirring her tea.._

'Maybe not Minami-san he is a bit of a flirt…Takuya-san…'

_Ai and Takuya sat on a park bench as she and Takuya scrolled through their phones._

_"Oh there's a great restaurant that serves the best hot pot." Ai said looking up to Takuya hopefully._

_"It's kind of hot for soup isn't it?" Takuya asked with a grimace. "Why would you want to eat hot pot on a hot day?"_

_"But that's the best time for soup." Ai responded. They both sat in a lingering silence before Takuya piped up looking at his phone excitedly._

_"How about we see a movie?" he exclaimed holding up the phone to Ai and pointing to the screen with a satisfied smile. "Buckets of blood 3 just came out and got 4/5 screams!"_

_"The super gorey one?" Ai asked with a blanching face before she took out her phone searching through it. "How about 'To all the ones I've loved before." She pointed to the screen with a delighted smile. "it has five out of five hearts!"_

_"Isn't that a bit of a chick flick?"_

_"Okay…how about the mall?" Ai asked._

_"I don't really need anything." Takuya answered. "And the mall is kind of lame isn't it?"_

_"Well no you can look around…there's a nice food court and oh there's a pet shop! I love petting the dogs there."_

_"you like dogs?" Takuya asked with a frown._

_"You don't?" Ai asked shocked._

_"Not really…"_

_Ai sighed and glanced up at Takuya._

_"This isn't going to work out is it?"_

_"Probably not." he replied with a nod._

'So that leaves Matusoka-senpai….'

_Ai sat next to Rin as both their feet were in the pool. Ai was leaning her head against his shoulder a wistful smile on her face as she swished her feet in the water._

_Rin had a soft smile of his own before he wrapped his arm around her. Ai's eyes peered hazily up at him and he gave a chuckle._

_"You're tired." He stated._

_"Mmhmm…but I'm also hungry." Ai murmured. "Do you want to get something to eat?"_

_"You in the mood for ramen?" Rin asked._

_"Yes…" Ai answered sleepily before she looked up giving a smile at Rin._

_"Okay then…"_

_Ai let out a shocked gasp when Rin gathered her in her arms and he glanced down at her with a warm smile. "Let's go then…"_

"Ooooh I wondered who she picked! She got really red!" Hana exclaimed with a bright smile.

"Ah oh…no I was just thinking. I guess if I had to pick…"

"You do." Hana replied firmly.

"Matsuoka-senpai." Ai replied softly.

"Ai call him Rin…" Gou commented with a shake of her head and a smile.

"Rin….senpai." Ai added bashfully. "If I had to pick."

"Figures." Hana replied. "Although he is very handsome."

"Yes and he does having amazing musculature." Gou replied. "Even as his sister I can see that. But Ai…do you like my brother?"

"N…no!" Ai answered shaking her head, the red on her cheeks deepening. "I think mostly just out of those four maybe because I know him and been with him the most. I could see him…being a good boyfriend…"

"I guess that makes sense." Hana said. "Oh you know what we should do next?!" she asked excitedly pulling up her bag. "My older sister sent me a fun nail polish kit with cute stencils!" she opened the box revealing a bright array of nail polishes.

"Manicures and pedicures." Gou said excitedly before she took a bottle from the case. "I'm in."

"Oh I don't know. They never last long on me." Ai murmured.

"This is the professional stuff. It'll last." Hana added with a smile as she held up a bright pink bottle to Ai's face. "Trust me."

* * *

Rin came out of the bathroom toweling off his hair. "Hey, Haru. Thanks for lending me the bath first."

"Sure." The Iwatobi swimmer responded from his bed.

"Huh. Did Makato go home already?" Rin glanced around realizing that the tall backswimmer was gone.

"He said he had to put Ren and Ran to sleep." Haru answered before pointing to the drawer. "The extra T-shirts are in there. Pick whichever you want."

"Oh, thanks." Rin opened the drawer and rummaged through. "And thanks for letting me sleepover." He found a shirt and slipped it over his head before he looked toward his friend. "By the way… that thing you had in the bath…"

"The loofah?" Haru questioned.

"No! That ornament… you know, the dolphin one." Rin replied as he leaned against the drawer.

"Oh, that." Haru murmured.

"It's the one you got from Iwatobi SC, right? I can't believe you still have that." Rin said with a smile and a shake of his head.

"You have one too." Haru replied.

"Y–Yeah… It disappeared somewhere." Rin stated rubbing the back of his head.

I see." The blue eyed swimmer murmured.

"Well, I can't bring useless stuff like that to Samezuka's dorms, anyway." Rin added with a shrug. "Already have to deal with Ai's useless crap I wouldn't want to add to that."

"Ai is that girl you like, right?" Haru asked.

"What?!" Rin sputtered. "I don't like her!"

"Yes you do. You stare at her differently." Haru said firmly.

"I don't like her! She's just a friend." Rin growled out.

"Okay…I'm going to take a bath." Haru stated standing up and gathering his things.

"Don't look so smug." Rin snapped. "She's just a friend."

"Okay." Haru murmured. "I don't know why you're getting so angry if she's just a friend then…?"

Rin sat on the bed glowering at his friend who then shut the bathroom door.

* * *

"I think Ai is asleep." Hana replied with a giggle. The girls turned their gazes away from the romantic comedy playing on the tv to the girl passed out on the sleeping bag.

"I'm surprised she can sleep with the movie going on." Hana commented. She then took a kernel of popcorn flicking it toward Ai. It landed on her face and Ai gave a murmur in her sleep brushing it away before she went back to lightly snoring.

"Yeah my brother told me she's a deep sleeper." Gou said with a shrug and a smile.

"Hey I have a question for you?" Hana stated suddenly..

"What?"

"Well I was going to pick the blonde guy instead but you added your brother to the mix why?"

"I'm just curious who she would pick." Gou murmured. "Because I think my brother and Ai would make a really cute couple."

"Do they like each other that way?" Hana asked confused.

"No…not yet." Gou answered with a shake of her head.

"Look at you trying to be matchmaker." Her friend teased.

"I just want my brother to be happy." Gou replied with a bright smile. "And I think Ai would make him happy."

* * *

It was the early morning and the sun had just peaked over the horizon. Rin was in sweats one set one foot against the stair stretching his leg as Haru was next to him stretching his arms.

" Want to run along the coast?" Haru asked.

"Sure." He replied and they took of in a light jog.

"You know you didn't have to wake up early too. You could have slept in." Rin stated to his friend as they were running alongside each other.

"It's cool. I wanted to run with you." Haru stated. Rin blinked a few times at his friends statement before he gave a hoarse laugh shaking his head.

"I can never figure you out." He muttered mostly to himself. As Rin maroon eyes glossed across the coast he thought of the time he spent here as a kid whether it was walking along the coastline with his sister or messing around the beach with his friends from Iwatobi SC.

His burgundy eyes opened in realization and he stopped briefly before picking up the pace again.

"Hey, Haru."

"Hm?"

"Well… Thing is, I remembered where that ornament is.." He gave a laugh. "Gou put it up for display in our front hall."

"Oh…" Haru replied.

"I'm going to get it afterwards." Rin said with a smile.

"I thought you didn't have the room." Haru said with a small smirk tracing his lips.

"I'll make room" Rin growled as he picked up the pace. "Come on don't fall behind."

* * *

"This great Matsuoka-san." Ai replied as she took another bite of an omelette.

"I'm glad you like it." Miyako responded warmly. "You girls have fun last night?" she asked the girls who were at a table digging into breakfast.

"Yeah a lot." Gou replied. "Thanks Mom."

Suddenly the door burst open and the girls stared curiously as Rin walked in.

"Rin." Miyako responded to her son with a warm smile. "I didn't know you were coming. "How was the sleepover?"

"It was good. I just came to pick something up." Rin replied giving his mom a quick kiss on the cheek before he went in the hallway.

"Do you want breakfast?" she called out after his son.

"No. I had some at Haru's." Rin replied coming back to the room giving his mom a smile. "Thanks though. I'm going to head back to school."

"Well wait." His mother replied pulling out the chair next to Ai's. "You might as well stay. You and Ai are going to the same place. Might as well head back together."

"Fine…" Rin replied with a sigh taking a seat next to Ai.

"Have some tea." His mom stated pouring a cup and setting in front of him.

"Thanks." Rin stated as he blew on it. Ai finished up her omelette in a few bites and then stood from the table.

"Let me just get my things Rin-senpai." She said leaving the room.

"Hey I have a question." Rin asked looking toward his sister.

"What Oni-chan?"

"Were you guys talking about me during your sleepover?"

Hana spit out her tea and covered her mouth, her eyes wide while Gou gave a laugh shaking her head. "Of…of course not. Why would you even think that?" she asked.

"Uh huh." Rin stated with a deadpan stare. He was about to ask why they were talking about him when Ai emerged with her bag and tow. "Ready Rin-senpai and thank you Matsuoka-san for your hospitality."

"It's no problem."

"Bye Ai-chan!" Gou replied with Hana giving a wave of her own.

**_ On the train _ **

"Did you have fun with Nanase-senpai and the others?" Ai asked curiously.

"Yeah I did. How about you?" Rin replied.

"Yeah…I did." She replied with a bright smile. "Oh did I grab my phone charger?" Ai opened her bag and Rin watched as she rummaged through the mess before a brow arched.

"Did you paint your nails?" he questioned.

Ai stopped holding up a hand with her nails decorated with bright pink overlaid with black stripes.

"Ah…" A light blush tinted her cheeks. "Yeah Hana-chan thought it would work since it's the Samezuka colors. I think I might take it off since it seems like a bit much." She murmured.

"It…it looks alright." Rin muttered.

"Well let's see how long it lasts." She replied. "By the way what did you pick up this morning?"

"Oh…" Rin rummaged through his jacket pocket before pulling out a keychain. Dangling from the silver ring was a shark charm.

"How cute!" Ai claimed. "It looks old though." She commented seeing the faded plastic.

"It's from my days at Iwatobi SC. I just wanted to get it to bring it with me to the dorm." Rin replied.

"I think he'll fit in nicely with the room." Ai stated giving him a beaming smile.

_**The Next Day** _

"Ai…you should take off the nail polish." Rin stated as he and Ai were walking back to their dorm room after practice.

"Oh yeah." Ai replied looking at her nails with a grimace on her face. "It is a bit much huh?"

Rin gave a nod because he didn't want to say that all during practice the guys were giving glances to her feet and making comments on how delicate and cute the nail polish made her feet look.


	21. Chapter 15: Crab Festival Competition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update. Real life, work, holidays and all that just caught up and didn't let me go. So hope you all like this story inspired by the drama cd's. And a big thank you to Rosette_Azella Dhampir_Victim and J_L_Hynde and the guest who left kudos. That support really means a lot to me.

 

* * *

"It should be fun! Come on Ai! Hana goes with her family and you haven't gone so it's perfect." Gou pleaded over the phone.

"Well we don't have practice that day and it does sound like an interesting festival. Plus, I really do like crab…" Ai murmured in reply.

"Great! I'll meet you there Ai-chan." Gou chirped before she hung up the phone. Ai shut her phone with a smile before she jumped off the bunk bed and headed to the closet.

'There you are!' Ai thought merrily as she pulled out her kimono.

"Why are you breaking that out?" Rin questioned from his desk seeing Ai drape the colorful fabric against her body.

"Ah well Kou invited me to attend the crab festival with her."

"You're going to the crab festival?"

"Yes. With Kou-chan. Oh did you want to come to Matsuoka-senpai? I know Gou-chan wouldn't mind." She said with a bright smile.

"Actually I'm going to meet up with the Iwatobi guys there." Rin answered scratching the back of his head.

"Ah…Which day?" Ai questioned curiously.

"Tomorrow…" he answered and he saw Ai's cornflower blue eyes widen at the response. He gave a sigh, giving her a begrudging stare.

"Let me guess that's the day you're going?" Rin asked. He was met with a bashful nod by Ai.

* * *

"Wow. This is even livelier than the squid festival." Ai commented as she walked alongside Gou. She was dressed in her purple kimono as her genta click while she walked with Gou who was wearing the similar festival style.

"Yeah. It is pretty lively." Gou replied with a bright grin. "What do you want to do first Ai? Did you want to check out the food stands or maybe the games."

"Oh I don't know." Ai murmured. "Maybe we should…" Ai stopped when a familiar voice broke out amongst the crowd causing both the girls to turn.

"Is that…Oni-chan?" Gou asked seeing some figures on the beach.

"Ah…Matsuoka-senpai did say he was coming to meet up with the Iwatobi team." Ai responded.

"What are they doing?" Gou questioned, her eyes narrowing to get a better look before she snatched Ai's wrist dragging her to the shore. "Let's find out."

The girls came onto the beach to see Rin and Haru glowering at each other.

"It has to happen sooner or later." Haru murmured.

"Hah! I'll end it in the blink of an eye." Rin declared.

"You sound pretty confident." Haru replied tersely which received a scowl in response.

"What's going on?" Gou asked bringing Ai in tow.

"Gou-chan…Ai-chan?!…what are you doing here?" Nagisa asked excitedly when he saw the two girls.

"We were checking out the festival." Gou responded as she looked around. "What's going on over here? There's not even an event that's over here."

"Ah well…" Makato answered with a small chuckle. "Haru and Rin are in a bit of a competition right now."

"Ah…the rivalry emerges once more." Gou responded with a smirk. "I wonder who will win this time."

"How about whoever jumps in here, touches that crab fishing boat parked on that harbor and gets back first, wins?" Rin asked pointing to the boat away from the shore line.

'But they don't even have swimsuits?' Ai thought as she brought out her phone. 'Should be fun to see nonetheless.' She thought fiddling with the buttons and holding it up.

"Sounds interesting. Let's do this, Rin." Haru responded meeting him at the shoreline

"Fight me, Haru!" Rin snapped. Suddenly the boys hands came at their shirts and their pants in a flurry of arms and cloth.

"Whoa… Their speed at taking off their belts isn't ordinary!" Makato commented.

"Wait…" Rei said adjusting his glasses before Haru and Rin were standing each other once more wearing their jammers. "They're both wearing swimsuits underneath their clothes!"

"Well duh. On days when Haru-chan feels the water, he prepares by wearing a swimsuit underneath his clothes!" Nagisa exclaimed.

"Is that the same for Rin-san as well?" Rei asked turning his gaze over to Ai.

"I'm…I'm not sure." Ai murmured with a shrug.

"You know Rin probably wore his because he had a feeling he'd be versing Haru today! …I think." Makato responded rubbing the back of his head with a shrug and a smile.

"You think?" Rei asked incredulously.

"Well, let's begin! Ready… Go!" Gou shouted with a clap of her hands. At that moment both of the boys ran to the shores and dived in the water. The group watched in a flurry of splashes as the two were neck and neck all the way to the boat and back. Simultaneously they both emerged from the water and panted, water dripping from their bodies as they stood on the shore.

"You're both so fast!" Nagisa said in awe.

"But who was faster?!" Makato asked.

" **T** hey both arrived at the same time." Rei declared. "Too close to discern with the human eye without use of slow speed camera."

"Haru and I tied?!" Rin asked at the same time that Haru asked. "It's a tie?!"

The two shared another intense glare.

"Not a chance!" Rin snapped with a shake of his head. The two continued to glare down at each other once more as they put on their clothes. As they both finished dressing their stare down was interrupted.

"Wait." Everyone turned to Ai who was holding up her phone with a gentle smile. "It's true that both of them arrived at the same time, but…" she trailed off as she began pressing some buttons on her phone.

"But?" Makato asked expectantly.

"When it comes to the speed at which they undressed, Rin-senpai was faster." She said her gaze unmoving from the phone screen.

"Really?" Gou asked.

Haru's eyes slightly widened at the statement.

"Well, I don't lose to anyone when it comes to being the fastest at undressing." Rin said confidently.

"Nothing less from Rin-chan!" Nagisa added with a laugh.

"But that has nothing to do with swimming." Makato commented.

"Even if it did, there's no way we can determine who was faster when we didn't even keep track of time!" Rei stated.

"No, we can. I've been recording the whole thing." Ai declared with a bright smile holding up her phone in triumph.

"Since when?!" Makato asked shocked.

"Watch this. I'll rewind it." Ai said as the group gathered around her phone. On screen was Rin and Haru glowering at each other.

" _How about whoever jumps in here, touches that crab fishing boat parked on that harbor and gets back first, wins?" Rin declared._

_They watched as the scene replayed both the boys taking their clothes off. Rin had managed to take off his pants stepping out to reveal his jammers slightly before Haru._

**"** See that?" Ai asked.

"You're right…" Makato said with a nod.

"Rin-chan was faster…" Nagisa stated.

"Take that, Haru." Rin stated with a smirk. Haru gave a frown in response.

"At this rate, Rin-chan will win…" Nagisa said.

"One more time, Rin!" Haru stated determinedly.

"Fine by me, Haru. But the result will be the same no matter what you do."

"Let's do this, Rin!" Haru stated resolutely as he stood by the shore once more.

"Fight me, Haru!" Rin declared.

"Another swim off?" Gou asked. Suddenly both boys hands came at their clothes again and they stopped standing in their jammers once more.

"Whoa… They're so fast, I didn't even see their hands taking off their belts…"

"Take that." Rin stated with a smirk which was met with a shake of his head from Nagisa.

"Sorry Rin-chan. Haru-chan wins this time!"

"So this was an undressing contest?!" Rei asked.

"What's wrong with that?" Gou asked. "You get to see such well defined muscles."

"Well now it's one win, one loss, one draw each…"Ai added..

"No…no…wait, the speed at which you undress has nothing to do with anything!" Rei declared with a shake of his head waving his hands.

"Let's go again Haru!" Rin stated.

"What are we competing about this time?" Haru asked.

"We've reached the height of the festival. How about some target practice?"

"Fine…" Haru replied.

* * *

The group was gathered around the shooting booth gazing at the colorful array of prizes.

"So…Whoever gets the biggest prize wins!" Ai exclaimed excitedly.

"I'm going first." Rin said slamming down some money at the vendor before he took the gun. He cocked it and aimed with a determined stare in his maroon eyes.

"Rin's stance… and his eyes locking onto his prey… He's like an assassin aiming for his target!" Makato commented.

Rin pulled the trigger and smirked when the ting of the metal clamored as the prize fell down.

"Wow, Oni-chan! You took down the life-sized Iwatobi-chan!" Gou said excitedly.

"Heh! That's about right." Rin said with a smirk as he let the gun rest on his shoulder. It was suddenly taken by Haru who gave his own money to the vendor

"I'm next." He stated leaning against the counter as he aimed the gun.

"Haru isn't giving in either! If Rin is an assassin, then Haru is a C.I.A agent protecting the target from him!" Makato stated.

They watched as Haru's blue eyes locked before he pulled the trigger. The metal ting rang out again as Haru stood triumphantly before setting the gun on the game counter.

"He took down the Iwatobi-chan costume set!" Nagisa stated with boisterous yell.

"Not bad, Haru!" Makato said giving his friend an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

"But who wins in this case? It's a life-sized Iwatobi-chan against a Iwatobi-chan costume set…" Rei asked as he glanced at the two oversized prizes with Nagisa holding one up and Ai holding up the other.

"They're both rare items." Gou surmised.

"So it's a tie." Nagisa asked through the mask of the Iwatobi mascot. **"** Damn it!" Rin cursed before he glanced over at Haru. "Next match!"

"What should they compete at?" Rei asked.

"I know!" Gou declared excitedly with a clap of her hands.

 **"** The Crab-catching Hell!" Gou said gesturing to the pool with two men in fundoshi's as they cautiously reached into the water.

"Crab-catching Hell?" Rei asked.

"It's the crab version of Squid-grabbing Heaven. Unlike squid though, crabs have claws so if they manage to get you, you feel hellish pain…" Nagisa explained

" Men in fundoshi are grabbing live crabs… It is indeed pure hell…" Rei added with a shudder as he pressed his glasses up his face. "But wait…Don't the rules ban underaged people like us from participating?

"We can't participate with squid, but crabs are okay! Since they're not slimy!" Gou explained with a bright smile.

"That's their criteria?!" Rei questioned stunned. "That makes absolutely no sense."

"Let's go, Rin." Haru said as he took off his clothes to his swim jammer once more and stepped into the pool.

"I won't lose!" Rin stated following suite. The two stood once more in their swimsuits glaring at each other across the pool

"And go!" Gou declared. The boys hand immediately dove into the water.

"You can do it, Haru-chan!" Nagisa cheered.

"Go **,** Rin-senpai!" Ai shouted.

"Haru grabbed the first one!" Makato mentioned seeing Haru emerge with one before he threw it into the bucket.

"Rin-senpai has grabbed two at the same time!" Ai stated excitedly when Rin came up with a crab in each of his hands.

"But Haru's crab is slightly bigger!" Makato added peering into the bucket.

"But Rin-senpai's crabs have better color!" Ai responded.

"Haru isn't giving in either! He's grabbed one with huge claws in successive blows!" Rei stated. "Don't lose, Haru-chan!"

Suddenly Rin let out a scream of pain as he came up with a crab on of his fingers in its grasp.

"Haruka-senpai is going for the big one while Rin-san's fingers are caught in the crab's claws!" Rei stated as Haru continued to pull crabs from the water.

"No, Rin-senpai isn't giving in! Even though his fingers are caught, he's moving with such force…!" Ai stated awed. Next to her, her best friend stood with her mouth slightly agape, eyes with a bevy of sparkles around.

"The intense collaboration between throbbing muscles and crabs! Amazing! This is so amazing!" she gushed.

Suddenly both the boys gave a scream as they came up with crabs pinching onto their fingers.

"Ow!" Rin hissed as he managed to pry it off and throw it into the bucket. The two continued in the competition letting out shouts of pain between grabs before they stopped when Gou declared

"Time." The two both stood panting near the buckets taking in deep breaths of air, their fingers red.

"Who won?" Makato asked.

"Haruka-senpai caught…" Rei started as he peered into bucket counting before he held up a finger. "14!"

"Rin-senpai has also caught…" Ai knelt near Rin's bucket as she counted before she held up her own finger with a bright smile. "14!"

"Another tie?!" Nagisa asked shocked.

"Damn it! One more match!" Rin said as he haphazardly threw his clothes on once more.

"What this time?" Ai asked.

"This time…" he trailed off before his maroon eyes became bright.

* * *

"It's fortune slips!" Rin declared in front of the temple.

"So whoever gets the better fortune wins." Haru said as they both raced to the slips of paper. The group watched as they hastily grabbed one and wrestled to open the fortunes.

"You're grabbing one too Ai?" Gou asked watching as her friend picked one out while Rin and Haru were still wresting to open theirs.

"Mhhmm." Ai replied. "I always like to grab one when I come by a temple." She stated slipping it into her purse.

"Middle luck. The object you've lost is hard to find." Rin read after he finally got his fortune open.

"Half luck. The person you are waiting for comes, but they are late." Haru read after.

"They're both neither here nor there…" Gou said.

"Which is better anyway?" Rei asked looking between Haru and Rin. "Middle luck or half luck?"

"All right then! The next match!" Rin stated crumpling his fortune.

"I'll go as far as it takes me." Haru replied back.

"Next we'll see who eats crab sticks the fastest!" Rin said in front of the booth.

"I accept your challenge." Haru stated back.

"This seems like it could go on for awhile." Rei said with a sigh as he saw Haru and Rin order a mountain of crab sticks.

"Yeah I want to check out the rest of the festival." Nagisa said with a whine.

"It is starting to get more and more stupider…" Gou said with a sigh before she grabbed Ai's wrist. "Come on Ai-chan let's check out the rest of the fun.

"Ah…okay…" Ai murmured slipping her phone back into her bag. "Nice seeing you all again."

"Bye Ai-chan." Nagisa said with a wave.

"Ah…it was nice seeing you as…" That was all Rei got out as the two girls disappeared into the festival crowd.

* * *

"You know the crab cakes are my favorite so far." Gou stated as she took another bite.

"I think the crab croquettes for me." Ai replied. Her blue cornflowers fell on Haru and Rin who were both locked in an arm wrestling contest at a table.

Gou sighed shaking her head with a smile. "Those two…."

"They kind of remind me of my brothers Kyo and Ryo." Ai murmured.

"The twins?"

"Yeah they were always competing with each other. Constantly. But they also realize they drive each other to do better too. I think those two are the same way….Ah…"

"What?" Gou asked at her startled cry.

"It's late." AI stated glancing at her watch. "I should get back to the dorm."

"Oh…I guess my brother has to leave too." Gou stated as the girls came to the table. "Okay you two!" She broke up the arms with a slap on their hands. "Let's call it a tie and pick it up another day."

"Fine…" Haru murmured.

"I guess." Rin growled reluctantly standing up. "See ya."

"Bye." Haru replied.

"By Oni-chan! Bye Ai-chan!" Gou said.

"Bye!" Ai said with a wave before she walked alongside Rin.

"You and Nanase-senpai are good friends, aren't you Rin-senpai?" Ai asked as they were walking along.

"What do you mean by that?" Rin asked.

"Just you bring out the best in each other. That's a good friend to have around." She replied.

"You say weird things sometimes you know that?" Rin asked seeing her bright eyes.

"Yeah…oh…we need to pick up the Iwatobi-chan!"

"Do we?" Rin asked with a grimace. "It's way too big to bring to the dorm."

"I guess you're right." Ai murmured. "But maybe you can trade it for another prize."

"Uh…what can I trade it for?" Rin asked once they came to the booth.

"Oh here for the Iwatobi-chan?" The vendor asked holding it up, the stuffed animal as tall as he was.

"It's kind of a big prize. Can we trade it?" Rin asked his maroon eyes glossing over the booth.

"I don't have a lot…" The vendor murmured gesturing to the almost bare stall. "Maybe this?" The vendor asked holding up a white cloth head band with a decorative daisy on it. "You think your girlfriend would like it?" he gestured toward Ai shoving the headband towards Rin.

A deep blush tinted Ai's cheeks as Rin took the headband. "Sure. Thanks."

He handed the headband toward Ai who gave a shake of her head. "Rin-senpai…you… you should trade it for a prize you want."

"Be rude if you didn't take it Ai." He murmured placing it on her head. "Plus, it matches your kimono."

"Ah…th…thank you." She said her hand coming to her head a slight blush tinting her cheeks.

"You two are a cute couple." The vendor commented.

"Ah…we're…we're not a…Ah!" Ai exclaimed when her blue eyes fell on a cat shaped clock acting as a prize. "Is that clock right?!"

"You can't change for that prize since you're wearing the headband." The vendor snapped back. Ai glanced at her own watch her blue eyes frantic as she stared up at Rin holding the watch up to his face. "Matsuaoka-senpai We need to get to the last train!" she exclaimed.

"Shit!" Rin cussed seeing the time as he took Ai's wrist. "We got to run!"

They both sprinted weaving around couples, families and gangs of kids till Rin felt a jolt to his wrist almost causing him to fall mid sprint. He angrily turned wondering what the hold up. Ai was staring down at her feet before she looked up regretfully at Rin.

"My genta strap broke!" She cried out as she bent down picking up her broken sandal. "Matsuoka-senpai go without me. We both shouldn't have to get in trouble."

"No…that's stupid." He stated showing her back as he crouched down a little. "Get on! I'll run us both back."

"But…" she started.

"You want to get in trouble?!" he snapped angrily looking back at her. "Get on!"

AI scrambled as she grasped his neck and brought both her legs up. Rin caught them and then took off once more.

'He's so strong…' Ai thought although she knew she shouldn't be surprised. Rin Matsuoka was the definition of muscle with perfect tone. However, it was one thing to see it in action pushing through the water or to simply see them from day to day. But Ai couldn't help but note the tone of his stomach with her legs wrapped around him or the definition of his back as her body was pressed against it.

'Crap…crap…crap…' Rin thought coming onto to the station as he heard the train blare it's final warning call and the doors begin to close. Despite the burning in his legs he pressed himself further as the door opening continued to narrow. Just as the doors were about to close a purse flew out causing the doors top jolt open and he scrambled on.

"We made it!" Ai exclaimed happily before he slid off Rin and gathered her purse.

"Ye…yeah." He replied trying to catch his breath. "Did…did you know that would work?"

"No, but the doors were about to close so I threw my purse to open them because I'd hate to get you in trouble." She murmured as she took a seat. "But I'm glad it did work."

"Yeah me too." Rin stated as he dropped into the seat next to her before the train lurched off.

He watched as Ai rummaged through her purse pulling out a piece of paper.

"Did you grab a fortune too?" he asked.

"Yeah." She replied as she delicately opened it. "I forgot I had it with all the competition and festivities going on."

"What's it say?"

"Oh! Full luck…love is a journey that you must pursue without a map." Ai read before holding up the fortune to him.

"Full luck." Rin murmured. "You're luckier than me or Haru."

"Ah…well it's just a fortune slip. Do you think they mean anything?" They both suddenly jolted as the train stopped and an elderly couple disembarked.

"Such a cute couple." The elderly man in the couple remarked before he looked to his wife. "Do you remember when we were like that?"

Ai and Rin watched as the couple walk off the train before they both glanced down to the slip in Ai's hand.

"It…it probably doesn't mean anything." Ai murmured before she shoved it into her purse again.

"Yeah…" Rin agreed as he leaned back against the train seat.


	22. Chapter 16: Stage Frights and One Liners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooooh okay this one took awhile, but I hope you like. Big ol' plop of fluff at the end there. Aaaaaaand a big thank you to Dhampir_Victim and J_L Hynde for the continued reviews those mean everything to me and another thank you for the guests who leave kudos. Hope you like.

 

* * *

"Man that exam was so tough." Takuya stated as he shook his head with a weary face. "My brain's fried and we still have swim practice."

"Don't remind me…" Kazuka stated wearily. "Hey what do we have for practice for today Ai? Do you know?"

"She's practically the team manager of course she knows." Takuya answered. "So what is it?" he asked looking hopefully at the girl walking between them.

"Ah…I think we're focusing on endurance and stamina today." She answered. Both boys stopped and gave begrudging moans.

"Sorry…" Ai murmured clutching her bookbag bashfully as she looked to the two. "At least it's at the end of the week, so you can recover over the weekend." She offered.

"Yeah I guess…" Kazuki mumbled bitterly. Just as the trio were about to continue walking they stopped when someone waved frantically at them.

"Hey! Wait!" the trio stopped as they watched the man waving at them come closer in their view. Running toward them in desperation was a boy with shaggy black hair and thick glasses over his face.

"Who is that?" Kazuki asked.

"Hell if I know." Takuya murmured as the boy finally came to them panting as he was bent over hands on his knees.

"H…hi…" he managed to get out behind strangled breaths.

"Hey." Kazuki said. "Who are you?"

"You're Aichirou right?" the boy asked excitedly looking with bright green eyes at Aichirou while he ignored Kazuki's question.

"Uh yes…" she replied.

"And you're a girl. Right?" he asked excitedly.

Ai took in a deep breath as she gave a weary face in response.

"What's it to you?" Takuya asked angrily.

"Oh it's nice to meet you." The boy stated pushing the glasses up his face. "I'm Ryohei Kimura."

"Aichirou Nitori." She politely gave a bow of her head. "Nice to meet you but we have to get going to practice."

"Wait!" The boy frantically latched onto Ai's wrist. "We need you!"

"Wha?" Ai confusedly asked as she gazed at the boy. "You need me?"

"N..not just me!" Ryohei responded. "Yukino-sensei wanted to speak with you!"

"Yukino-sensei? Isn't she that weird drama teacher?" Kazuki asked.

"Oh yeah…the one with a bunch of beads and ribbons in her hair who wears those crazy colorful outfits." Takuya commented.

"Why does Yukino-sensei want to see me?" Ai asked.

* * *

_**Samezuka Class Room 2-B** _

"Nitori-san!" A woman with black hair interwoven with colorful beads and a bright blue dress overlain with a black robe interlaced with a purple shower of lilacs. Her bright green eyes greeted the girl as she came through the classroom door followed by Ryohei.

"Yukino-sensei." Ai greeted with a bow. "You wanted to…" Ai trailed off seeing a group of guys in the classroom looking at her as she came into the room. "You wanted to see me." She finished.

"Yes!" Yukino answered as she began pushing Ai toward the group of guys seated in the desks. "Allow me to introduce to you the Samaezuka Drama Club!" she said motioning to the men with a wave of her hand.

"We have a drama club?" Ai questioned.

"Yes!" Ryohei answered with a huff. "We have a drama club. There's more to this school than jocks you know."

"Ah…so…sorry." Ai murmured. "I just didn't know."

"Yes we have a drama club for the more cultured and less physically adept members of this school, Nitori-san and they are in need of your help"

"My help?" Ai asked bewildered. "Why would you need my help?"

"Nitori-san." Yukino grasped her by the shoulders. "The drama club is in dire need of your assistance to aid in our upcoming play and we need you to fulfill an essential role!"

"You want me to do what?" she questioned thrown off by the quick and overdetailed rhetoric of her words.

"We want you to be Helen in our play." Ryohei explained.

"Helen and Lechery to be more specific." She forced an opened script into Ai's hands. "It is a simple role you merely need to exhibit the personance of beauty in Helen." She flipped her hair dramatically. "And inspire a lustful feeling during your role as lechery." She finished off that statement with flirtatious gaze in her eyes.

"What?" Ai questioned. 'Beauty…lust…that's not me.' She thought.

"I…I don't think I'm umm qualified to fulfill this role." She said pushing the script back into Yukino-sensei's hands.

"Let me explain." Yukino said shoving the script more forcefully into Ai's hand, her tone taking a more forceful nature. "We normally perform with the sister school and combine casts. However they have opted to perform an all female play this year forcing us to do the contrast."

"Can't you find anyone else?" Ai asked. "I mean someone here has to have a sister or friend who's a girl that could probably be better."

"While that suggestion would be viable if we were merely performing, we also compete with other drama clubs. And rules dictate that cast members must be members of the school and while joining schools are acceptable, to pick someone from outside to merely fulfill a role is not."

"But why would you need me?"

"Because this year we are doing Christopher Marlowe's Tragical History of Doctor Faustus." Yukino exclaimed.

"We were thinking about 12 angry men, but this play is a bit more livelier with more colorful characters." Ryohei added.

"Ah…but I can't act. I'm not a good actor." she looked up at her teacher bashfully. "You know this. You gave me a C on my monologue."

"It's true your acting is very subpar." Ai flinched at the sudden blunt tone of her drama teacher. "But I believe that you can exude some character into one sentence."

"Ah…" Ai glanced at the script and back up. "I…"

"And if you do this I will add a grade to your dismal theater mark."

AI gave a grimace as she glossed over the script and then to the rest of the drama club.

* * *

_**Samezuka Pool** _

"Seriously?" Seijirou said with a laugh. "You're going to be in a play."

"Ah…do…don't worry." Ai chirped as she continued to stretch on the pool deck. "I made sure they would work with my swim practice schedule...I just may have to miss an extra day here or there."

"That's not why I'm laughing." Seijriou responded giving her a smirk. "Just hard to picture you in a play. But don't worry on opening night we'll all be there to support you." He declared giving her a thumbs up.

"You really don't have to!" Ai exclaimed standing up as she waved her hands. "I really just have a very small part and one line. And the play is kind of boring…"

"Nope! Definitely going to see you! Right guys?!" Seijirou asked the surrounding team members who gave murmurs of agreement.

Ai gave a begrudging smile as she stared down at her feet.

* * *

_**Samezuka Theater** _

"Try a little more flirtatiousness Nitori-san." Yukino demanded as she looked at the stage.

"Ah flirtatiousness?" Ai murmured as she sat perched on a box, her legs hanging over as she leaned back.

"Yes. You are lechery! You exude a sexual nature that should inspire lust!" the drama teacher declared. "Perhaps add a demure wink at the end of your line. Let's try it again from Ryohei's line."

"Um…okay…" she said looking back to Ryohei who gave a nod.

"What are you Mistress Minx, the seventh and last?" he declared dramatically with a gesture towards Ai.

"Who I, sir?" Ai robotically asked putting a hand on her chest as she delivered her line. " I am one that loves an inch of raw mutton better than an ell of fried stock-fish; and the first letter of my name begins with L." Ai gave an awkward wink which Yukino-sensei gave a weary sigh.

"We'll make up for your lack of sexuality with costume Ai, but let's go onto your next scene."

"Okay…" Ai murmured depressed as she stood up from the box.

"Alright Ai as Helen you will be off stage." Ai trudged off stage watching as her other castmates set into place on the stage.

"From your line Gonshino!" Yukino declared to a blue haired boy on stage who gave a curt nod.

"Faustus" The blue haired boy said to Ryohei. "This or what else thou shalt desire. Shall be perform'd in twinkling of an eye." Gonshino motioned off stage with a wave of his hand towards Ai.

"Nitori-san this is where you enter. Be ethereal but resplendent. Otherworldly!" Yukino gushed.

"Wha…?" Ai questioned.

"Walk on stage like a beautiful ghostly goddess." Yukino stated before she demonstrated a slow languid walk as her face gave an amorous stare. "Like this…"

"Ah…" Ai did her best to try to replicate but her face screamed embarrassed and her walk seemed more zombie .

Yukino smacked her forehead and gave a sigh. "We'll make up for your lack of beauty with costume."

Ai sighed as she bowed her head. 'I'm starting to regret this decision. Is an increased grade really worth this?'

"Carry on with the scene!" Yukino commanded.

"Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships, And burnt the topless towers of Ilium—" He turned towards Ai a gentle hand coming under her chin. "Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss."

Ai flinched as his face came down towards her and at the last moment she turned away Ryohei delivering a peck to her ear.

"Nitori-san?!" Yukino asked angrily. "What was that?!"

"I…I thought the real kiss wouldn't be till opening night." Ai explained ruefully.

"Why would you think that?" Ryohei asked.

"I…I don't know" Ai murmured.

"Fine." Yukino answered. "We can do air kisses for now and save the real kiss for opening night. But so help me Nitori-san if you flinch no extra credit." She declared pointing threateningly in Ai's direction.

"U…understood." Ai agreed with a sheepish nod.

* * *

**_A few days later_ **

Rin came into the room to be met with Ai clutching onto the bunk bed rail for life, her blue eyes wide. The sight itself was shocking, but what was drawing his eyes most was the sigh of Ai's legs clad in leather thigh high heeled boots.

"What the…?"

"Hi Matsuoka-senpai…" Ai greeted as she let go of the bed bunk rail and wobblily stood up.

"What are you doing?" Rin asked bewildered. He was used to seeing Ai in her boy trunk shorts and oversized shirts. When she did wear shoes it was usually sneakers or flats. Seeing her in high heel boots was throwing him for a loop.

"Yukino-sensei said I needed to practice walking in these…because when I walked in them the first time…I fell." Ai managed to take a few steps forward before she let out a yelp falling forward. As she braced herself she felt an iron strong arm grip her torso keeping her from colliding with the floor.

"Careful!" Rin scolded as he pushed Ai upright.

"Thank you." Ai murmured as she stared at Rin. "I never worn heels these high and they're so hard to walk in."

"Yeah…how tall are those?" Rin asked realizing that Ai was able to meet his gaze without craning her neck up.

"5 inches…" Ai answered with a cringe. "And every step hurts."

"They don't wear them." Rin replied.

"I have too!" Ai lamented as she shakily made her way to the bunk before her knees buckled and she fell into Rin's bed. Rin heard her give a strangled whine before she flipped over staring down at her feet. "Yukino-sensei they help me be lechery, because I can't deliver my line with the proper Lechery character."

"What does that even mean?" Rin asked as he sat next to her on the bed.

"I'm not flirty enough apparently." Ai murmured as she sat up next to him and stared down at the boots. "And I don't know if it's because I can act flirty or I'm just not flirty period." She gave a mournful sigh. "I think it's the latter."

"You're stressing yourself too much about this." Rin commented. "It's just some dumb play."

"Ah…I…I know it's just a play but I see it as much as I care about the swim club these people care about the drama club and I'm…I'm trying to be better because I don't want to let them down." Ai responded.

Rin gave a chuckle seeing the resolute nature in Ai's cornflower eyes. "You care too much sometimes. You know that?"

Ai gave a small laugh of her own at his statement as she gave a nod in response. "I know."

"So what's the line?" Rin asked. "I'll help you practice if I can."

"Ah…okay I need to be lechery so that exudes a flirtatious nature and my line is…Who I, sir? I am one that loves an inch of raw mutton, better than an ell of fried stock-fish; and the first letter of my name begins with L." she closed one eye in an attempt at winking before she glanced hopefully at Rin.

"What does that even mean?" Rin questioned as he gave a laugh at Ai's robotic utterance of the line. "And what happened at the end with your eye there?"

"That was my attempt at a wink." Ai answered.

"Okay…" Rin said with a shake of his head before he looked at the script and back at Ai. "My advice is just pretend your flirting with someone you like. Or you've seen romantic movies right? Just act like the heroine."

"Ah…mmm…"

She took in a breath before she leaned in glancing up at Rin. "Who I sir?" She asked her voice getting huskier. Rin leaned back in shock. "Ah… did that sound any better? I was thinking about Alexander Verlander."

"Who?" Rin asked.

"Ah…that's not important." Ai answered a slight blush tinting her cheeks. "But was that better?"

"Yeah….just do that." Rin murmured.

"Okay…" Ai said with a sigh of relief. "That advice helped thank you Matsuoka-senpai."

"Yeah…"

"Now I'm just worried about the shoes. But I'll get it!" Ai determinedly said before she stood up again. Rin watched as she took a few firm steps before she began teetering, her arms flapping about wildly as they tried to find any hold. Rin scrambled just in time to catch her once more.

"I can't help you there." Rin responded setting Ai upright again.

* * *

**_A few weeks later_ **

"Ow…ow…" Ai cringed as she felt another bobby pin pierce her scalp.

"Ah there." Yukino-sensei gushed. "Helen is born again!"

Ai gazed apprehensively at the reflection in the mirror. Large brown curls framed her face which was slightly more tanned like the rest of her body. She had gold makeup on her eyes that made her bright blue eyes pop and a light tint pink on her lips.

'I don't even recognize myself…' Ai fretted.. As she stood up, light blue fabric danced around her body. She adjusted the blue tunic she wore that was belted with a light gold band. 'Although I prefer this outfit compared to Lechery.'

While Helen was ethereal and colorful ,her costume for Lechery was more bold and sultry. The wig had bold luscious black waves that came past her shoulders and the dress was a simple red spaghetti strap dress that tightly hugged her frame and came at mid thigh. She was glad she didn't have to wear spray tan for that costume, but what she hated was the garish red lipstick and eye lash extensions she had to don.

"Alright go the scene is coming up." Yukino sensei stated she ushered Ai to the side of the stage.

"Our Helen is ready! Let's begin!" Yukino sensei declared.

Ai watched for what seemed like the 100th time Ryohei and the other cast mate act out the scene. Ai scratched her wig and gave a cringe as she heard the line that would usher her in.

She walked slowly on the stage trying to be languid and heavenly as Yukino sensei tried to demonstrate. She admitted with how the tunic flowed about her she could imagine herself being a Greek Goddess.

"Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss." Ryohei face came down to hers, his lips merely a breath from hers. Ai got better at not flinching and turning her face away, but still she had to fight the deep instinct too.

Ai managed to keep a serene face as the rest of the scene played out.

'He'll be my first kiss…' Ai thought with a gulp once the scene was over as she watched Ryohei deliver the rest of his lines. 'He'll be my first kiss….'

* * *

'It's not so bad.' Ai thought to herself back in the room as she tried to study. 'He's…he's cute. And a first kiss during a play is kind of romantic…like a scene out of a teen drama….'

But as much as Ai tried to convince herself that it would be okay that Ryohei would be her first kiss she couldn't help but feel the unease in her stomach. He was cute, but he was someone she barely knew.

She always pictured her first kiss would be with someone she cared about. Someone who she knew after sometime.

She tried to picture the future scene in her head. Ryohei's lips coming closer. It had the perfect picturesque nature for a wonder first time kiss that would lead to romance. She would be wearing a beautiful dress, her hair would be done in beautiful curls albeit not her hair. But she couldn't help but have her heart sink when she imagined his lips coming into contact with hers.

'It's because…I don't know him.' She thought sadly. ' I don't want him to be my first kiss.'

"What's going on with you?" Rin questioned breaking her out of her anxious thoughts.

"What?" Ai asked glancing over to Rin at his desk.

"You've been reading the same page for 20 minutes and thrumming your fingers like crazy. Is it English?"

"Ah…no…no sorry. I think I'm just worried about the opening night that's coming up." Ai lied forcing a smile on her face.

"You'll be fine." Rin muttered going back to his own studies.

"Ah…thank you Matsuoka-senpai." Rin tried to read but noticed Ai still had that nervous stare in her eyes that were looking at her pages, but not really interpreting the words.

"What is it Ai?" He asked exasperated. "What are you really nervous about?"

"Ah…" She wanted to ask Rin about first kisses. If he had experienced one. And if he had, was it magical? Was it with someone she cared about or knew?

Her mouth stammered before she shook her head standing up from the desk. "I'm fine…just nervous. I'm going to get a tea to calm my nerves." She murmured.

Rin watched her leave the room and gave a sigh running his hand through his hair.

'She can't be that shaken up about a play? Can she?'

* * *

**_Opening Night-Samezuka Theater_ **

The boys of Samezuka swim team had packed two rows in the Samezuka academy theather as everyone chatted.

"What's this play about?" Seijirou asked looking at the program with confused gold eyes. "Dr Fatus? Is this like a medical drama about an overweight doctor."

"Faustus." Rin corrected looking over the program description. "And I think it's some old play about a guy who makes a deal with a devil or something like that."

"I still can't believe Ai has two parts." Gou stated looking excitedly at her brother from her own program resting in her lap. "It's kind of exciting.

"It's a bit part." Rin replied leaning back in his chair. "She only has one line."

"Should still be interesting." Seijirou exclaimed once the curtain began to draw up and the murmurs of the crowd quieted down as the actors came on stage.

Rin gave a bored expression to the stage as the actors uttered their lines. It was hard to catch what was going on in the older dialect they were using. As he looked to his fellow teammates who had similar disinterested looks on their faces. Only his sister next to him was gazing at the play with rapt attention. He figured she was more into the hints of muscle peeking through the costume of open shirts and short sleeves.

As the play went on Seijirou had drifted off and had only aroused when someone eagerly tapped him.

"Holy shit! Is that Ai?!" One member asked shocked. The whole swim team had wide eyes as they watched a girl walk across the stage. She was donned in thigh high black boots, a tight red dress hugging her frame as a feather boa dances while she walked. She took a seat in a chair before she flipped, her long black hair over shoulder and gave the audience a languid look through thick black lashes and a wry smile dressed in bold red lips.

"She pulls off that look." Minami murmured.

"Yeah…she looks pretty good." Takuya commented.

'But it's not her…' Rin thought seeing how the girl on stage oozed provactivity boys watched as Ai delivered her line managing to keep a suggestive stare on her face and flirtatious tone in her voice. The scene changed quickly Ai shuffling off with the rest of the group.

'It's coming….it's coming…it's coming…' Ai thought trying to fight her heart from beating right out of her. A fist was over her chest as she breathed in and out rapidly in her Helen costume. As the scenes came by and her moment neared closer, her breathing started coming out ragged and she gave a panicked shriek as she scrambled for her phone.

'I can't! I can't! I can't!' she thought frantically her fingers falling over her keys.

* * *

Rin jumped feeling the phone vibrate in his pocket. He dug it out of his pocket and gave a curious tilt of his head as he read the name before he flipped it open. His maroon eyes glanced over the screen and he gave a tilt of his head.

'What?' he though confused. He lightly elbowed his sister who gave him an annoyed look.

"What?" she whispered the bevy of sparkles around her eyes dissipating as she was broken out of her speculative trance.

"Do you have any idea what this means?" he whispered back holding up the phone. "It's from Ai."

Gou tilted her head seeing the garbled text interlaced with various emoji's. "No…that's from Ai-chan? Why would she text you now?"

"I don't know I was hoping you would."

"I guess she's…worried…she send the freak out emoji before any exam she has. And I think that reads please meet me please backstage please…"

"How did you get that?" Rin glanced over the phone seeing the jumbling of kanji.

"That's my best guess. I guess she was typing quickly…you should go if she's that worried." Gou commented concerned.

Rin stood up and shuffled his way toward the stage entrance. He managed to sneak past some other cast mates as he found a pacing woman going back and forth muttering to herself at the side of the curtains. She had long curly brunette hair and was wearing a blue tunic that flowed with her motions. Her skin had a golden sheen to it and he paused for a moment before realizing it was Ai at the sound of her mutterings.

"Ai." He called out.

"Ah…" She jumped and shot him a frantic look. "Matsuoka-senpai what are you doing here?" Ai asked shocked.

"I got your text message and Gou said you were freaking out. What's up?"

"I…I wanted to talk to Gou-chan about this." Ai muttered embarrassed. "That text was meant for Gou-chan."

"What did you want to tell her…?"

"I…I…." she glanced worriedly at the stage and then to Rin. "I…"

"Do you want me to get Gou?" Rin asked getting worried as he saw how fast she was breathing and how wide her eyes were.

"I…Matsuoka-senpai…I…" she began pacing again her hands clenching onto her wig. "I can't!" She finally exlciamed. "I can't! I can't! I can't! I can't!"

"You can't tell me?" Rin asked.

Ai frantically shook her head as she continued her pacing.

"I can't…I can't…I can't I can't I can't…"

"You can't what Ai?" Rin asked. When she kept pacing and shaking her head he stepped forward and grasped her by the shoulders to keep her from pacing.

"You can't what Ai?" he asked firmly.

"I can't kiss him!" Ai blurted before putting a hand over her mouth, her blue eyes trembling before they darted over to Ryohei who was on the stage.

"You're freaking out over a stage kiss?" Rin questioned. Ai gave a few panicky nods.

"Ai…it's…it's just a kiss." He relaxed his hold. "It's a stage kiss. It's no big deal."

"…it's my first…" he heard a soft muffled whisper from behind her hand.

"What?"

"It's my first kiss…" she murmured before her voice came out breaking. ""I always thought my first kiss would be with someone…it's my first and…I don't like him…I don't care about him…I don't want him to be…." She rambled as her breathings became more rapid, a hand coming over her chest, her chest falling up and down as her breath came out in a ragged wheeze.

Rin saw the brim of tears coming on her eyes.

"What did you think your first kiss would be like?" he asked gently.

"I…I don't know…but I thought it be with someone I would at least care about…someone I knew after sometime…someone I would have something in common with…I don't want him to be…He shouldn't be…" she shook her head worriedly.

"Then don't kiss him."

"I have to. It's already here. I don't want to let the drama club down and I need the grade and I thought I could do it. But I can't…I can't…" Rin saw the tears in her eyes well up and he sighed.

"Ai…close your eyes…"

"Wha…what?" she stammered as she gave him a confused stare.

"Close your eyes." he repeated.

"Ah…" she clenched her eyes shut as she tried to quiet her panting breaths.

"Look Ai...what's going to happen in the next few moments, it doesn't matter okay. It's not a romantic declaration. It's just me trying to help you and this is the only way I can think other than you just not going out there."

"Ah…okay Matsuoka Senpai. Can I open my eyes…."

"No. Just relax okay. Take some breaths…" Ai gasped a few times trying to slow her frenzied breathing as she felt Rin's hand rest on her shoulders and gave comforting squeeze. Rin felt his own heart begin to pound as he took in a deep breath trying to steal his own nerves. He brought one hand up cupping Ai's face, his thumb resting under her right eye as he brushed the makeup off revealing the beauty mark that the foundation had concealed.

'That's better….' He thought as he brought his other hand behind her head.

He had seen plenty of kisses from sappy romance movies that his mother and sister dragged him to. Usually there was a declaration of love, some sappy music and a magical kiss that literally lit up the aura around the couple. This was probably not going to be like that with Ai in a scratchy synthetic wig, the dark stage around them and the constant chatter of the actors reading out medieval lines.

'I can do this…' he thought as he closed his eyes and leaned in, gently bringing his lips on hers.

Ai tried to calm her breathing as she felt Rin's hand cup her face, his thumb lightly brushing against her cheek. 'He's always so warm…' she thought and that's when she felt a pair of lips brushing against hers.

Ai froze briefly as she felt Rin press more into her his other hand going behind her head drawing her deeper in. She then relaxed, her hands resting against his chest able to feel the pulse underneath the fabric of his shirt.

'His hearts racing…like mine.' She could feel her own pulse at a frenzied pace and the feel behind the lips seemed almost electric.

'This is kissing…it's…it's wonderful…' she thought.

Rin pulled away his other hand framing her face as Ai slowly opened her shining blue eyes. Her hand came up, fingertips lightly resting on her lips.

"Matsuoka-senpai..why…"

"You wanted your first kiss with someone you knew right?" He let his hands fall as he took a step back. "Someone you had something in common?"

"Is that what your first kiss like?" Ai finally asked.

"This was it."

Her blue eyes widened in shock at his statement. "Matusoka…I…"

"I'm okay with it. Are you?" Rin asked interrupting the train of thought.

Ai nodded. "Thank you…."

A slow smile crept on Ai's face as she looked to the stage, her entrance line coming up. "Thank you…Matsuoka-senpai." She murmured glancing over to him as she brushed back the brunette hair.

'Even if it was just his way of making me feel better. Even if it didn't mean anything.' She walked on stage, her dress flowing behind her as the light of the stage hit her body and she gave a soft stare toward Ryohei as he came to her, his hands lightly tracing her face.

As he brought his lips on hers; This time she didn't flinch. She didn't tug her head away. Instead she let his lips come onto hers and she rested her hands on his shoulders. Her heart wasn't racing like it had been moments ago as Kenji pulled away as he bellowed to the audience. 'I'm glad my first kiss was with Rin…' she thought.

**_A few weeks later_ **

"Second place district. Not bad." A male voice from over the phone proclaimed. "I wish I could have seen it."

"I only had one line." Ai replied with a shake of her head and a smile.

"Yes but to see you dressed up and onstage. I should have skipped school."

"You can't skip school and come on a train hours to see me in a bit part in a school play, Mitz." Ai chided.

"I know. I know. But you did get pictures right?" her brother asked excitedly.

Ai gave a smile to the picture in her hands. On it was the whole cast of the play smiling with her dressed in her Helen outfit. Some of the castmates were holding up a sign that proclaimed '2nd Place District'.

Ai tucked the picture into a program from the play and then into an envelope.

"Yep. I'm sending them to you."

"Can't wait to see…and how did you handle the kiss?"

"Ah…it…it went good." Ai murmured as her blue eyes darted over to Rin in the room who was sloughing his swim jacket over his body.

"There's something you're not telling me…" Her brother asked curiously. "What is it?"

"Hey Ai! Practice is going to start soon." Rin commented pulling his duffel bag over his shoulder.

"Ah…right! Sorry Mitz I have to go…" she murmured into the phone.

"Just tell me quickly how it…" She hung the phone up and scrambled down the bed. She grabbed her own bag and walked out of the room with Rin.

"You glad you don't have to go to drama practice anymore?" Rin asked as they were walking down the hallway.

"Yes." Ai answered. "I think I'm a much better swimmer than actor." Ai replied giving him a smile.

They walked to practice the rest of the way talking about the upcoming practice and the winter break ahead.


	23. Chapter 17: Brotherly Mayhem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crazy family dynamics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all. This chapter is pretty fluffy. Not essential to the overall plot but wanted to look into family dynamics. Had some fun with it and I hope you all like.  
> A big thank you to the guests who left kudos. And a warm big hug to J_L Hynde, KasumiShimizu and Kristie Nava for the sweet sweet reviews that always make my heart swell.   
> Anyways hope you enjoy.

* * *

 

_**Brotherly Mayhem Part 1** _

"You seem upset Rin-Senpai? Is something wrong?" Ai asked from her desk. She had watched Rin stare angrily at his phone for the past hour.

At the question Rin turned toward her, staring at her with hardened maroon eyes.

"Ai…I'm going to ask you a question. And I need you to answer me honestly."

"Ah…o…okay." Ai murmured seeing the seriousness nature in his face.

"Is Gou seeing someone?"

"What?"

"Is Gou dating someone?"

"I…no…not that I know of." Ai answered.

"Are you lying to me?" Rin asked sharply.

Ai shook her head and noticed the skeptical stare Rin was giving her. "Ah Rin-senpai!" She waved her hands frantically in front of her face. "You know I can't lie so even if I did know and I told you I didn't know, you would know that I know because I wouldn't be able to act like I didn't know, but I don't know and you know I don't know because I really don't know. You know?"

Rin blinked a few times as Ai stared at him expectantly. 'Either that made sense or we've been hanging out too long…' he thought before he gave a shake of his head returning to the question at hand.

"Then where has she been going every Sunday?" Rin asked exasperated staring back at his phone.

"Well it is the holiday season. It's usually a season for lovers so maybe Gou-chan does have a boyfriend."

"THERE'S NO WAY! Gou is still a freshman in high school! Dating a guy at that age is unthinkable! Gou would never do that!" Rin stated angrily.

"Why are you getting so worked up Rin-senpai?" Ai asked stunned at seeing him this way.

"It'…it's nothing." Rin muttered angrily.

"I mean people in high school do date…" Ai gently offered. "And your sister is really pretty. I'm sure a lot of boys like her and Seijirou…" She trailed off her blue eyes becoming wide as a hand flew over her mouth.

"What Ai?" Rin asked seeing the uneasy stare on her face.

"Ah…" She pulled the hand away from her mouth giving Rin a sheepish stare. "Well I know Seijirou-senpai likes her and last Sunday he was going somewhere with a big smile on his face. But I don't…" Ai felt a rush of air past by her and she turned her head to see Rin pounding on the door across the hall.

'Damnit. It can't be… The captain didn't lay his filthy mitts on her, did he?!' Rin thought angrily as he continued to bang on the door.

"Matusoka…" Seijirou greeted in his usual nature when he opened the door. "What's going on?"

"Mikoshiba…" Rin started angrily before he gave a quick shake of his head correcting himself. "Captain! There's something I have to ask you."

"Oh?! You can ask me anything!" Seijirou replied giving him an encouraging smile.

"Where did you go last Sunday?"

"Last Sunday?" Seijirou gave a tilt of his head as he scratched his hair before a look of remembrance flashed across his face. "Oh! I went to go see a movie."

Rin felt his blood pressure shoot up as his brow twitched angrily. "You went to a movie?"

"Yep!" Seijirou responded happily causing Rin to almost see red. "With the little sister!"

"DAMN IT, I KNEW–" He was about to lung forth and strangle the captain who broke out into a laughter as he leaned against the door.

"I'm just like you, I have a little sister of my own who's a high school freshman."

"Your… sister?" Rin asked stunned.

" **T** hat's right. There was a movie she really wanted to see, so I went with her. The movie is called "The Rat Life" and it was pretty interesting squeak!

"Squeak…" Rin uttered. He then had to stand in the doorway for the next five minutes as the captain described what Rin thought sounded was a totally assinine movie.

**"** Sounds like it wasn't a date with your little sister." Ai replied once Rin came back to the room."

"Yeah… What the hell kind of movie is "The Rat Life" anyway?" Rin questioned.

"It sounds cute." Ai murmured. "And that's good news, isn't it? That's she's not dating Seijriou."

"No it's not because I still have no idea who's she's dating." Rin uttered angrily. 

"Maybe it's someone she goes to school with or…" she trailed off winding. 

"Or what?"

"She does spend a lot of time with the Iwatobi Swim Club. I mean she's the manager, but in romance movies people who spend time a lot of time together often end up…" 

She watched as Rin maroon eyes widened before his fingers punched into the phone and he held it to his ear, his eyes angry.

"He's not picking up!" Rin muttered before he hung up the phone with a scowl. "He doesn't carry his phone around damn it! What's the point of having a phone in the first place?"

'Who is he talking about?' Ai thought as she watched Rin dial into the phone again before he held it up to his ear.

"MAKOTO! Is Haru there?!" Rin asked.

Ai watched as Rin waited before he barked 'Hurry up!' into the phone.

**"** HARU!" Rin realized how loud he was being and he took in a deep breath. "Haru…" he continued in a calmer voice. "I have to ask you something. What were you doing last Sunday?"

Ai jumped when Rin yelled "WHAT?!" to the callers response.

'Is Gou-chan dating Haru?' Ai thought. 'But then again she did pick him out of the Iwatobi boys to be her boyfriend.'

She watched an annoyed expression come on Rin's face, before he hung up the phone with a tsk. Rin looked about ready to hurl the electronic device but opted to simply let it fall from his hands before he wrung a hand angrily through his hair.

"Damn it! Who the hell is it then?! Who keeps going out on a date with Gou every week?!"

"Eh?! Every week? Is that so?" Ai asked. 'It makes sense now why everytime I ask Gou if she wants to get together she says she's busy. But why wouldn't she tell me who she's dating…we're friends aren't we?'

" It's not like I'm worried! I'm not worried at all!" Rin stated but the anxiety was present in his eyes at the mystery man who his sister was seeing.

"Ah don't worry, Rin-senpai. I have an idea."

"A good idea?" Rin asked skeptically.

"Yes. It's a way for us to find out the truth." She answered confidently.

"What way?"

"We'll tail after her." She said holding up a finger excitedly.

"That's stalking!" Rin answered.

"So are you telling me that you don't want to know who your sister is with?" Ai responded as she looked up at Rin expectantly.

Rin made a disgruntled face and he gave a begrudging sigh.

* * *

**_ Samezuka Theater _ **

"Ah how exciting! A heist!" Yukino-sensei stated. Her and Ai were in the costume department of the theater as Ai lightly touched different outfits and uniforms that were hanging on the racks.

"It's….it's not a heist." Ai murmured.

"Ah my apologies! A stakeout, but still very exciting. So have any ideas about disguises?" Yukino-sensei asked.

"Ah…no not really. But it will have to be good since we don't want to be recognized."

"Hmm I could provide some input as to a proper disguise…perhaps you have a picture of this Rin." Ai pulled out her phone and showing a picture as a thoughtful stare came on Yukino-sensei's face.

"He seems to have a very strong protective masculine aura." Yukino sensei stated. "Perhaps this." She reached into a rack and pulled out a police uniform. "I feel this would suit him well."

"Ah…" Ai tilted he head at the uniform as her mind tried to picture Rin in a police uniform.

'It would fit him…' she thought imagining the uniform on his body. For some reason she imagined his hair pulled back like he did when he went out on jogs and him wearing the police cap as he leaned against the hood of a police car. She shook her head of this thought.

"He would probably pull off that look really well, but I think that would attract attention."

"Ah yes…stakeout. Best to avoid detection well then…" Yukino-sensei before she pulled two wigs seemingly out of no where. "I suggest these. These would disguise you quite well, but I also suggest you wear glasses. Obscuring one's eyes is the most important factor for eyes are the windows to one soul."

* * *

** Samezuka Dorms **

"Is this really necessary?" Rin hissed as another bobby pin pierced his scalp.

"Do you want Gou-chan to recognize you?" Ai asked as she shuffled the hair a bit.

"Why can't I just wear a hat?" Rin questioned.

"Do you really think a hat can fool your sister. She has a very shrew eye."

"Only when it comes to muscles." Rin mumbled. "And do I really need the glasses?" he asked holding up a pair of thick rimmed black frames.

"Yes!" Ai answered. "Eyes are the windows to the soul."

"Then what are you wearing?"

"This." Ai held up a sleek black wig with bold black bangs.

"And what about your eyes?"

"Oh I'm also wearing this." She held up a purple paper boy cap in her other hand.

"That makes no sense!" he snapped.

"It has a big brim." She put it on top of her head and bowed it a bit covering her eyes. "See?"

Rin sighed as he brushed the strands of wig hanging into his face.

"Does it matter what we wear?" Rin questioned.

"I suggest something your sister hasn't seen you in before." Ai replied as she pulled out a few garments for the closet. 

* * *

"That's what you're wearing?" Rin asked shocked on the the day of the stakeout. Ai emerged from the bathroom giving him a sheepish stare.

Ai was decked in the sleek black wig that hung past her shoulders and the purple boy cap resting on her head. Her shirt was a egg shell color but light with billowy sleeves and a collar that hung off her shoulders. She had light lilac leggings under a black mini skirt and black knee high flat boots.

"Yes it's not my usual style." Ai proclaimed. "And I've never worn it before so I know Gou won't recognize it."

"Yeah that's defnitely not what you usually wear." Rin commented thinking of her usual sweats or cute dresses that she usually donned. The outfit Ai was in was fit to her body and more on trend. "Where did you get that anyway? Did you buy that just for this?"

"No…Mitz gave it to me awhile back, but I just never wore it." She adjsuted the mini skirt with a grimace. "It's not very comfortable."

"Okay…" Rin finished buttoning up the white shirt he was wearing before he dusted off the trousers. "Ready to go?"

"Yes…you actually look very prim Rin-senpai."

"Yeah…I kind of hate it." Rin said looking down at his outfit. It felt like something he would wear to a formal dinner or a somber event. "I feel like speedo specs." He muttered adjusting the glasses on his face.

"Well Ryugazaki-san does seem like the type to dress more conservatively. But yes this prim style is definitely not you. So it's perfect. Now…let's go tail Gou-chan."

* * *

"She's not getting off this stop either." Ai murmured as she peeked around the train wall. They were watching from the train car adjacent to the one Gou was in as she rode by herself checking her phone every so often between stops.

"Where is she going?" Rin questioned. Ai glanced up at the train map and tilted her head.

"I don't know…" Ai murmured as she sat next to Rin taking a few glances every so often to see if Gou had moved.

"Hey no offense but I'm surprised you're going along with this." Rin commented. "You don't think I'm being a crazy over protective brother?"

"Ah well I have three crazy over protective brothers so I know what it's like." Ai murmured giving Rin a small smile. "But I well…I guess I'm a bit…frustrated."

"With me?" Rin asked.

"Ah…no…with Gou. I consider her a friend. A good one. I just don't know why she wouldn't tell me she was dating someone. I would tell her if I was seeing someone special…" Rin glanced seeing the tint of sadness in her eyes.

"It's probably nothing against you. She probably didn't want to tell you because then I would have found out."

"I guess…" Ai murmured in reply as the train lurched to a stop once more. Her blue eyes widened before she lightly tapped Rin. "She's getting off Rin-senpai!" she whispered.

They blended in with a small crowd and kept ducking behind store corners and poles as they trailed Gou.

"The mall?" Rin said as they watched Gou walk into a building. "Who has a date at the mall?"

"Ah well there are restaurants and cute stores…oh and they have a pet store with puppies!" Ai replied. "Plus there's a movie theater! Maybe that's where's she's going…for a movie date."

"Come on!" Rin urged as they continued to trail Gou. She idly walked along before she came to a sport store.

"A sports shop." Rin said with a scowl. "I knew it was someone from the swim club!"

"Ah…There's the person she's meeting but that's…."

"Good morning, Gou!" Hana greeted with a wave of her hand.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Hana-chan!" Gou apologized with a rueful smile.

"Hana-chan?" Rin asked confused. "That's what who's she been meeting every weekend?"

"Ah…I guess it's just a girls time…but…" Ai trailed off.

"But what?"

"Why wouldn't they invite me?" Ai asked softly. "Maybe we're not as close friends as I thought."

" Guess we should leave." Rin murmured as he softly edged Ai away.

"I'm sorry for making you come with me every week." Gou said as her and Hana entered the store.

"Don't worry about it. But even though we've visited a lot of shops, I guess this is the obvious last place to be in, huh?"

"If it's a present that'll make him happy, it's got to be from here." Gou answered. At that comment Rin stopped dead in his tracks and turned away with an angry stare.

"PRESENT?!" Rin almost shouted but Ai tapped him holding a finger to her lips.

"Shh! Rin-senpai, keep your voice down! Let's follow them!" She said as they began trailing once more.

"FINE!" Rin hissed out.

They watched as Gou and Hana perused the items in the store, Hana holding up items and Gou making decisions.

"I don't know…I don't think it's his color." Gou commented as Hana held up a parker jacket.

"Yeah...you're right." Hana agreed as she shuffled through the jackets before she held up another one that was a bold black with red detailing on the cuffs and sleeves. "I think this is it!"

"Yes!" Gou commented happily. "It's perfect! It's so manly and the color is perfect."

"Yeah! The red color looks so cool! It's nice!" Hana said with a great smile.

"I'll put them together with these goggles too…" Gou said as she picked up a pair of black tinted goggles. "I know these are a really good brand."

As Gou and Ai chan were walking to the checkout, Gou stopped as she picked up a white face towel with purple flowers bordering the edges.

"Ah…I don't think that's really his style." Hana commented with a laugh as she saw Gou pick up a water bottle in a similar style. "Or that."

"These are for someone else." Gou replied as they came up to the check out desk. " Excuse me, can you wrap these up as a Christmas gift? These two in one and these two on another."

"It looks like she's buying a Christmas present." Ai said as they watched the cashier begin wrapping the gifts.

"Who is it for, damnit?!" Rin asked peeking out from the display case they were hiding behind.

The cashier wrapped the gift and looked to Gou with a warm smile. "What would you like on the cards?"

"Ah…for that one, just a normal 'Thank you for everything, Brother' I guess…."

"Eh…" Rin blinked a few times in shock at her statement.

"It's a present for you Senpai." Ai replied with a bright smile. "She's not dating anyone."

"There's still another gift." Rin mumbled. "Maybe that's for who she's been going to see every week."

"And for this one?" The cashier asked.

"Thanks for being such a good friend, Ai-chan."

"Oh those are for Ai-chan!" Hana proclaimed. "Yeah those are definitely her."

Gou gave a nod. "Yeah…those will go good with the brush I bought for her."

"Oh…" Ai murmured. "That's so sweet."

"Hey…I'm glad we got to hang out, but can I ask you something?" Hana asked as the girls were exiting the store with the bag in hand.

"Sure."

"How come you didn't ask Ai to help you with this?" Hana questioned. "She knows more about swimming and your brother."

"Oh…" Gou gave a shrug of her shoulders. "I love Ai and honestly she would be the perfect person to ask about this, but…"

"But what?"" Hana prided.

"She is such a bad liar." Gou said. "She's too pure and honest sometimes." 

"Oh yeah…makes sense if he asked where she was going every week then he would have found out." Hana replied.

Gou gave a few nods. "And since she's his roommate there would be no way she could get away without him being suspicious."

"Kind of jealous of her almost. And you. Your brother is so good looking." Hana commented.

"He can be a pain sometimes, though." Gou replied with a roll of her eyes. " He's never honest about his feelings."

"Hey let's check out this store!" Hana said excitingly pointing to a store window. "I need a new shirt."

"Okay." Gou said as the girls walked in.

"She was shopping for Christmas presents Senpai." Ai said giving Rin a soft smile.

"Yeah…" Rin felt like he wanted to melt on the ground with all the anger and anxiety that suddenly left his body. "Let's go back to the dorm Ai."

"Ah…" He noticed Ai giving him an apprehensive look. "What is it?"

"Well since we're already here can we look around?" Ai asked. "At least the puppies please…"

"Ah…yeah okay." He replied as Ai gave a happy little jump.

"Thanks Senpai!" she said as they walked toward the pet store.

Rin couldn't help but give a smile at the happy little giggles mitted from Ai as the puppies licked and nipped her fingers.

"You really like dogs don't you?"

Ai nodded. "I could never have them growing up because my brothers are allergic but I think they're amazing." She looked up to Rin. "They're so sweet and happy. Whenever I was feeling sad my grandpa would always take me to a dog park and let me play with the dogs."

"Yeah…they are pretty great." Rin replied thinking back to the overly energetic Winnie. At this statement he felt his stomach give a rumble that AI giggled at.

"You want to get some food while we're here Senpai?" she asked.

"Sure…"

Somehow they found themselves eating Ramen and then Ai caught Rin giving a lingering gaze over to the arcade near the food court.

"Do you want to check it out?"

"No it's fine…"

"Are you sure? Videogames are fun. I like some."

"Really?" Rin asked.

"Well yeah all my brothers were very into video games. I like the racing and the fighting ones. Not so much the shooting games because I just start shooting everything and then I usually take out some bystander or an innocent."

"You'd make a terrible cop." Rin replied with a short laugh.

"And you'd probably make a good one." Ai replied. "Want to go check it out?"

* * *

"You're actually pretty good at the racing." Rin commented as they exited out the arcade. "You almost beat that street racing game."

"Thank you." Ai replied as she held up a puppy plush. "Are you sure you don't want this? You did win it from the crane."

"Eh…just wanted to see if I could. Keep it with the kitty plush you have."

"Ah…yeah he could use a….Ah!" Ai suddenly grasped his wrist as she frantically looked around.

"What?"

"Gou and Hana are coming this way!" Rin looked up seeing Gou and Hana who were idly talking, coming right towards them.

"Ah…here!" He dragged her into a photo booth bringing the curtain closed. They both watched anxiously as the girls feet passed by before they gave a sigh of relief.

"It's kind of funny. We're still worried about being seen even if we have disguises." Ai commented with a small laugh.

"Better safe than sorry." Rin said adjusting his hair. He stopped when he saw Ai rummaging through her purse and pulling out some yen. "

"What are you doing?"

"Oh well I told Mitz about this and he wanted to see pictures."

"Why?"

" I don't know know but this seems like a good easy way to send him some and we're already  here. Smile Rin-senpai!" she threw up a peace sign and a wink.

Rin rolled his eyes before he gave a wry smile.

* * *

"I have to say these are good disguises. This doesn't even look like us!" She proclaimed showing Rin a pair of photo strips.

"Yeah…ugh I do look like a dork." Rin stated with a grimace. "Are you going to keep one?"

"Of course I am!" Ai said shaking the photo. "This is going right in my photo album!"

"As the day we stalked my sister?" Rin asked.

'As the day we had fun at the mall.' Ai thought giving Rin a bright smile in response.

* * *

**_Brotherly Mayhem Part 2_ **

Rin opened the door to his dorm room as he ran over in his head the assignments and studying he had to complete. As he dropped his book bag by the door and sloughed off his jacket, he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye.

"Hi!" A boy around his age with bright blue eyes and shaggy black hair greeted him from the closet. "Got to say you have really good tastes in clothes." He held up one of his jackets with a smirk. "Edgy but stylish. Bad boy with a heart of gold!"

"Who the fu…" that was all he got out when suddenly he was engulfed in darkness. His arms lashed out but were immediately put into a vice grip one on each side.

"He's pretty strong."

"Good thing they're two of us." Another set of voices broke out.

"What the…what?" Rin tried to struggle but found himself forced into a chair and his body became quickly entrapped by a cloth and his legs tied down.

"Whoever this is you better…!"

"Sorry rude of us…" Rin recognized the voice as the boy who was raiding his closet. He blinked when the darkness was finally removed and he was allowed to see. His vision blearily cleared up to see the boy with blue eyes looking brightly at him as he held a pillow case in his hands.

"Hey!"

"Who the hell are you?!"

"Oh surprised you don't know…" The boy murmured as he glanced over at Rin with a perplexed stare. He put his hands on his hips and gave a confused tilt of his head. "Usually Ai tells people about us all the time."

"Yes but from what we heard…" Rin eye traveled to a pair of boys behind him who were glancing at Rin. His eyes widened when he realized that despite the two wearing different colored shirts and one with glasses the boys were identical to each other from the brown hair to brown eyes and facial features.

"He's a bit of a tsundere." The other twin finished pushing the glasses up his face.

"Yeah but Ai-Ai warmed him up." The black haired boy responded. "She's annoyingly charming like that huh?" The boy asked giving Rin a light elbow as he went back over to the closet.

"I'm checking his bed." One twin responded going over to Rin's bunk as he threw Rin a smirk on his way over.

"I'll check his desk." The other twin answered as the two walked out of Rin's sight.

"Closet!" the black haired boy.

"Who the hell are you guys?!" Rin practically screamed.

"Oh right! I'm Mitsukuni Nitori." The black haired boy answered popping his head from the closet with a bright smile. "And I think you can guess those two over there…"

"Ryo…"

"Kyo…"

Rin managed to look over his shoulders to see one twin rummaging through his desk drawers and the other pulling back his comforter and searching the mattress with a blue light.

"You're Ai's brothers?"

"Bingo!" Mitsuki answered. "Took you awhile to get there. I'm surprised hasn't Ai showed you pictures."

"Yeah I've seen pictures but when you guys were younger…" Rin answered before he shook his head realizing the situation at hand. "Wait what the hell are you guys doing here?" he wrestled against his makeshift restraints that kept him to his desk chair. "And why am I tied up?"

The twin's came back into his sight again. "We're just making sure that you've been respectful…" one said.

"And that you haven't put your grubby mitts on our sister." The other said shaking the blue light in his face. "Thankfully we won't have to kill you…yet. The bed's clean."

"And no condems in the drawer, unless he's not using protection." The two twins glared at Rin who flinched at the intense stare.

"Cool it you two." Mitsukuni stated with giving the twins a pat on the shoulder. "He hasn't touched Ai."

"How do you know?" one twin asked.

"Easy because she would have told me." Mitsukuni replied. "I know her better than you two idiots."

"Hey what's…?" Seijriou peaked his head into see three unfamiliar men and a tied up Rin. "What's going on?"

"Hi…you must be Seijriou-san!" Mitsukuni stated cheerfully. "Ai's told me so much about you." He gave a deep bow. "I'm Mitsukuni Nitori and that's Ryo and Kyo Nitori." He motioned to the twins who gave a wave of the hand.

"Hey nice to meet you! But why do you have Matsuoka tied up?" Seijirou asked pointing over to the maroon boy entrapped in the chair.

Rin was about to answer but was interrupted by Mitsukuni. "Big brother business. You understand right?"

"Ah say no more. Big brother myself." Seijirou answered giving the three a smirk. "If you don't kill or maim him too much we should be okay. Carry on."

"Captain…" Rin stated shocked but Seijirou only gave him a shrug and a smile as he exited the room with Mitsukuni locking the door behind him.

"Useless idiot." Rin muttered under his breath as he looked to the trio of brothers. "Look I've been respectful of her okay? So you don't need to do this." He said his hands gesturing to the bonds.

"Have you seen her naked?" Ryo asked.

"Ah…no…" Rin tried to reply firmly, but he cursed hearing the warble in his voice.

"He's lying." Kyou muttered glowering at Rin. "So what should we…" He stopped and all three brothers turned to see the door handle jiggle.

"Mitz! Stall her!" Ryo ordered.

"On it!" Mitz said flying over to the door. With a flash he opened it up and slipped through slamming it behind him.

"Ai-Ai!" he cried out.

"Mitz!" Rin heard AI claim out followed by a happy giggle. "What are you doing here?"

"Well heading home for the holidays and I wanted to see my favorite sister."

"I'm your only sister." Ai answered with a giggle.

"Right but as my favorite only sister let's get something to eat. On me."

"Okay…Just let me change."

"You look fine just the way you are. Come on."

At that statement Rin heard one of the twins mutter "idiot…" while the other smacked his forehead.

"Mitz! What did you do?!" he heard Ai cry out with an angry tone that made his eyes widen. "Did you throw out my clothes again?"

"How could you think I…she coming in!"

"Mitz let me go! Let me go or I…"

"Not the face…not the face…" Rin heard what seemed to be a very physical struggle ensue as the twins sighed before they deftly undid Rin's bonds and tucked him out of the chair.

"Don't say a word…" one threatened.

"Or else."

Rin was about to respond when Ai and MItz fell through the door, Ai scrambled up before she gave a deep bow towards Rin.

"Rin-senpai I'm sorry for anything that they did! You two! What did you do?" She threateningly pointed to the twins who conveyed a look of innocence.

"Nothing."

"We're insulted that you would even insinuate that."

"Yeah that really hurts…"

"Rin-senpai…" Ai gently asked.

"Ah it was nothing." Rin muttered seeing the glower of the twins behind Ai as one gave a threatening throat cutting gesture.

Ai gave a skeptical stare before she turned toward her twin brothers. "Fine…"

"Now come on!" Mitz came in throwing one arm over Ai. "Let's get something to eat."

"Fine…but you're paying for Rin-senpai's food."

"We're not inviting him." One of the twins said.

"Yes you are!" Ai firmly replied with a glower towards the twins. Rin kept his jaw from dropping in shock at the angry forceful tone in her voice.

'So she can get angry…'

"Fine…" Mitz said with a reluctant sigh and a roll of his eyes. "But go in the bathroom and change. I set out a cute outfit for you."

"I'm not your doll." Ai answered.

"I know that you're my model. I need to take pictures of someone in that outfit I made and it's perfect for you." Mitz replied before giving his sister a pleading stare. "Please…"

"Okay…" Ai stated reluctantly as she trudged toward the bathroom.

"You should change too…" Mitz stated as he came to a duffel bag. "I could use more pictures of my menswear outfits! Ah this is going to work fine…" He tossed some clothing at Rin. "I think that would suit you."

Rin glanced down at the fabric and then back to him. "You want me to wear this?"

"Don't sound so skeptical." MItz said with a laugh. "I take clothes seriously. I wouldn't prank you. Right guys?"

"He's telling the truth." One twin affirmed. Rin stared down at the cloth in his hands before he went to the closet himself. As he was changing he heard Ai from outside the closet.

"MItz I can't wear this!"

"Yes you can!" Her brother replied. "It's perfect. It covers your flat chest but shows off your best assets."

"I'm wearing a jacket."

"But that kills the whole look." He whined. Rin emerged from the closet to see Ai zipping up her Samezuka jacket over a pair of grey skinny jeans.

"Ah Rin Senpai you don't have to wear that." Ai said as she saw Rin.

"Yes he does. They look great." Mitz stated.

"you seriously made this?" Rin asked. He had to admit he liked the graphic print of the shirt and the way the pants fell on his body.

"Yeah. I'm pretty awesome." Mitz said with a smirk. "Although…" he dug through his duffel bag again pulling out a plaid jacket. "Put this around your waist."

"You don't have to…"

"Just for the picture." Mitz replied.

"It's fine Ai." Rin replied as he slipped it over. "He actually knows some decent style."

Mitz scoffed. "Decent. How dare you?"

"Hey are we getting something to eat?"

"Or not?" the twins asked.

"Right!" Mitz said. "And I know just the place."

* * *

Ai fanned herself with her hand as she stared down at the grill in discontempt. "Really?"

"You love okonomiyaki." Mitz said shoveling a pancake onto her plate. "Especially when I make it with your favorite ingredients."

"Thanks." Ai mumbled as she took a bite. Rin almost let out a laugh at the flush of her cheeks and the sheen of sweat on her forehead.

"Just take off the jacket."

"Yeah you're burning up." The twins added.

"I'm fine." Ai said, but the deep red of her cheeks didn't help with her statement. She continued to eat but Rin noticed between bites she tugged at her jacket collar.

"Just take it off Ai." Rin stated with a laugh. "You're going to pass out and I don't want you falling face first in the grill."

"Fine…" Ai said with a sigh as she stood up and unzipped her jacket. When she sloughed off the black cloth, she revealed a light grey long sleeve shirt with bell sleeves. It had a high straight line giving a peek of shoulder, but had a deep cut V on the back.

"There…doesn't that feel better?" MItz asked. Ai glowered at him as she sat down and resumed eating.

"It's cute."

"Right Matsuoka-san?" The twins asked. Rin stopped mid bite as he looked over at Ai.

"Ah..yeah…it's cute."

"Th…thanks."

Rin had to admit it was funny. He was use to seeing a flustered Ai, but seeing her around her brothers she was annoyed and fiesty, but her brothers took it like being yelped at by a Chihuahua.

By the time dinner was over Ai was rubbing her temples with an annoyed glare as they were walking back to the train station. As they were waiting for the train MItz held up a camera.

"Well since we're waiting let me take some of those pictures. Ai get over by the vending machines." He snatched his sister by the wrist and pracitclly dragged Ai over who was giving a grimace and a pleading look to Rin and her brothers who were siting on the bench

. Rin watched with an amused stare as MItz smushed his sister face and gave her poses that she tried to imitate before he was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.

"Matsuoka-san." One brother stated.

"We wanted to apologize for our actions earlier."

"And to thank you for watching out for Ai."

"And we hope that you'll continue watching out for her."

"Ah…yeah…" Rin replied seeing their gentle smiles. "I can do that."

"Good."

"Which means we won't have to kill you." One of the twins surmised as Rin gave a sigh.

'They turn on a dime too…'

"Hey Shark Teeth get over here so I can take pictures of you too!" Mitsukuni called out.

"Mitz-don't be rude." Ai hissed.

"Sorry. Shark Teeth-san get over here…ow…" he received a light rap on the shoulder by an angry Ai. Rin almost gave a laugh as he stood up. "Coming…"

* * *

"Bye Kyo! Bye Ryo!" Ai replied as she gave her brothers a hug when they returned to the dorm.

"Stay safe." They said as they each gave their sister a kiss a top the head.

"Bye Mitz!" Ai murmured as she threw her arms around her brother.

"Bye Ai! Ai! I left some clothes in your closet for you."

"I don't need more clothes." Ai replied with a whine.

"No you need better clothes." Her brother replied giving her a tap on the nose with a smirk. "Love you!"

He gave a wave and a nod towards Rin as he left with the twins. Ai sighed as the door was closed shaking her head.

"I'm sorry again Rin-senpai. I know my brothers can be a lot." She said ruefully looking towards him.

"It's fine." Rin replied with a smile putting his hand on top of Ai's head ruffling her hair. "You have a good family."

"Thank you…" Ai said. "And I need to ask again, did my brother's do anything to you?"

"Ah…just big brother business. Don't worry about it." Rin muttered looking with a bit of anxiety towards the door. 

* * *

**_On the Train_ **

"10,000." Mitzukuni stated confidently from his train seat. "I bet on it."

"That's a bold statement." Kyo replied. 

"There was nothing based on the room. And Ai didn't act romantically towards him."

"Well duh they both don't know it yet, but they will." Mitz stated with a smile.

"When?" Ryo asked. 

"Oh that's going to be awhile. They are definitely a slow burn. Maybe next year...possibly longer." 

"We should have killed him when we had the chance." Kyou stated to his twin causing Mitzukuni to laugh. 

 


End file.
